Boom in volunteering on organic farms in the UK as Covid bans travelling abroad
Without the ability to travel abroad, people in the UK have been looking closer to home for experiences they would often travel to find.
Imagine the traditional gap year or volunteering trip. You might picture somewhere like Australia or New Zealand, not necessarily an eight-acre farm in Ludlow.
Scarlett Penn is the owner of a smallholding near Ludlow and the UK co-ordinator for Wwoof – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.
Wwoof has stations set up in more than 130 countries across the world, and helps those wanting to volunteer and learn more about organic farming link up with farm owners who can give them bed and board for a helping hand.
The phenomenon is popular in many countries, most famously known in Australia where many young people flock to work on farms and enjoy the sunny climate and have fun.
Scarlett said there has been an increase in people from the UK staying in the UK to 'Wwoof' as she calls it.
"What we have seen is an interest in people based in the UK Wwoofing in the UK," she said. "People can't travel and they are hearing about Wwoof and thinking it is a brilliant idea getting to learn about growing in our own country and learn about the climate here and growing crops.
"You can make a meaningful contribution in this country as well. We are seeing a decrease in people being able to come from abroad to this country to Wwoof, but an increase in people from the UK staying here to do it. It's about learning to grow in your own climate and seasons with British soil and crops."
One family who has recently been to stay with Scarlett on her smallholding as part of the scheme is couple Bruce Carlisle and Kye Askins, both 52, and their son Djembe Askins, 24.
They are from Newcastle originally and are looking to learn more about organic farming with the hopes of buying their own smallholding, perhaps in Shropshire.
Bruce said: "We are based near Newcastle Upon Tyme and gave up our jobs as lecturers nearly two years ago. Since then we have been volunteering at farms all over, from Spain and Central America to Europe and the UK."
"We had to come back from Columbia because of the pandemic, so it's fantastic we could come back here and carry on learning about farms and running an organic smallholding," Kye added.
"Shropshire is brilliant. It is a part of the world we thought we should explore. It has gone beyond all our expectations – Shropshire is beautiful and so green and fresh for growing.
"We really love the feel of the place and the county and its a good environment, not too wet not too dry. Our son, Djembe, was here for two weeks and had been working at other Wwoof farms in the UK.
"He is not really on a classic gap year because he finished university and has been working in London for a few years but he wanted to travel abroad, but that is on hold for the moment.
"If you said to us four years ago you would all be on a farm in Shropshire, we wouldn't have believed it, but it's been great."
There is only Scarlett and her partner who live and work on the farm normally, and she said they often find the workload difficult, so having people stay and help out is a perfect arrangement for them.
"It's all about the things we're hearing of all the time – biodiversity, organic farms and growing naturally and locally," she explained. "We need to steward our land in a lot more healthy way.
"Organic farming is more labour because you are not using chemicals to kill everything in sight so you need those extra hands for things like weeding and picking.
"It's about people power and a more personal and intimate relationship with the land."
Wwoof is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Scarlett said she hopes more people take up the opportunities available in this country.
"It just shows it has stood the test of time," she said.
