From little acorns, mighty plans have grown and on 11 May the community purchase of Long Meadow and the Croft Close Set Aside finally reached completion. Amanda Borrill has been talking to the team behind this success, along with Abbey Farm’s new owners, about the journey so far and what happens next…
In July 2020, the Rowley family-owned Abbey Farm house and grounds, with its two associated plots – Croft Close Set Aside (CCSA) and Long Meadow (LM) – all went up for sale causing much concern locally over its fate. What followed next was people power at its finest; a community coming together through a unique set of circumstances with one sole aim – to preserve this historic and beautiful part of our village for future generations.
The power of the people
Resident alongside the CCSA since 1966, nature lover Moira Neal is overjoyed that completion has finally taken place. Talking to Moira, you can’t fail to be drawn in by her passion and enthusiasm for its preservation: “Yes, I am passionate about it! Over the past 21 years we have enjoyed the field with our dogs and grandchildren.
“I have always vowed I would have been like Swampy and strapped myself to a tree if any developer had got hold of it. It is such a very precious space which Tony and I have nurtured for over 20 years. As I sit writing this I can hear the purr of the highly-endangered turtle dove calling for a mate. He has chosen our field as his summer home. We are indeed very honoured as they have decreased by 93% since the 1970s.”
Early steps
A walk around the area with Howard Biddle and his wife Hilary early last summer introduced me to this area of natural beauty that I had no idea even existed and took Howard into his leading role on the Abbey Fields Task and Finish Group – a joint collaboration between the community and our Parish Council. Howard shares how he became involved.
“During the first Covid lockdown we explored a lot of local walks and were delighted to discover new woods and paths, all between Histon, Girton and Westwick, but we couldn’t understand why there were no paths marked across Abbey Fields. I therefore decided to research the process for claiming formal Rights of Way. Tentative conversations soon evolved into a campaign and then, in July, came the news that the entire Abbey Farm estate was up for sale. The Abbey Farm house was going for a high price but the price being asked for the two plots now known as Abbey Fields (CCSA and LM) seemed within reach for the village. Publicity on HI HUB, Network Magazine and local social media very quickly established overwhelming support for what we were doing.”
Asking Howard what it means to him personally to have played a part in securing this land for our community, his enthusiasm shines through: “It was a project that needed doing and I couldn’t find anyone else to do it! Unwelcome as lockdown was, it gifted me time I would never normally have had to take this on. Green spaces in urban developments are important. These two pieces of land are special both from an environmental and historical perspective. My kids enjoyed these fields and so too now will future generations. It is brilliant that we have been successful.”
Fortune favours the brave
Securing this land, however, has not been without its challenges. It is to all our fortunes that one multi-million pound offer for all three plots was subsequently withdrawn and some very good samaritans, in the form of the Jenking family, came along with the means to buy CCSA and LM – taking them off the open market and keeping them within the community.
Anthony Jenking takes up the story: “It has been a surprisingly complicated process spanning over 10 months and I’ve certainly learnt a lot on the way. Over this time I have met some amazingly talented and dedicated people that, strangely, I have yet to meet in person due to the pandemic. I can’t wait to rectify that!
“Essentially we (myself and my wife Bogusia) have bought CCSA and LM and covered the related costs for the short-term. Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to donate all of the money, so our aim has been to ensure that the land was off the market and ‘safe’. Now that this has been achieved, our group has more time to organise and deliver a permanent solution, to ensure the fields can remain a community asset in perpetuity. We’re also excited to be able to open that process up to the wider community now that the private sale has been completed.
“Although I’ve lived in the area for over 20 years, I had no idea that the CCSA existed. When I talked to friends in the village, it seemed that a good proportion of them were also unaware of this incredible piece of land on our doorstep. My aspiration is that, if we can make this a success, we can replicate the process again: our group has dreams of a “Histon Loop” where people can walk around the village on connected fields and pathways. It might take a lifetime to realise but this is a great first step!
“This is the first big community effort I’ve been involved in and I have been bowled over by the spirit that has been displayed. The people of Histon & Impington are just as special as the environment we live in.”
With completion of the sale of Abbey Fields, comes a new chapter in the life of the Abbey Farm estate and I asked Anthony how he saw the relationship between the Task Group and the new house owners evolving. “Obviously I don’t wish to speak for them, but we should bear in mind that a huge task lays ahead for them with renovation of the house and grounds. This is likely to keep them very busy for the foreseeable future. I can say though, throughout the sale process they have been incredibly supportive of all we are aiming to achieve and I see them being a fantastic asset to the community.”
Abbey Farm – the next chapter
So, just who are the new buyers of the Abbey Farm estate? I had the pleasure of speaking to one half of the husband and wife team behind the purchase – Michael Watson. Michael oozed enthusiasm for their return to the village he grew up in and it was clear that he and his wife Sue are keen to build a harmonious and long lasting relationship with the community.
Michael’s family connection with the villages goes back many generations with his great-great grandfather once owning the windmill and his sons running Loves Butchers. His parents still live in the village and, until her recent retirement, his mother, Rosemary, worked in Barclays Bank here on our High Street. Michael tells more:
“I have very fond memories of Abbey Farm (or Rowley’s as it was always called) particularly at times of the Feast Parade where the procession would assemble on the drive, before starting its journey through the High Street. With that as the background, it is therefore a privilege (if not also a little daunting!) to be stewards of the next chapter for Abbey Farm.
“We welcome the enthusiasm from the village community in trying to bring some of the grounds into public ownership and have been working hard, alongside Howard Biddle and other members of the Task and Finish Group, to allow this vision to be brought to reality. What amounts to almost 40% of the original Abbey Farm grounds will be designated permanently as open spaces to be enjoyed by everyone. This is a fantastic achievement and the newly named ‘Abbey Fields’ will, I’m sure, be the envy of many other villages who could only wish to achieve a similar result.
“We will be taking up residence on 11 May, and our initial focus will be to renovate the main house, as well as restore and find new uses for the historic farm buildings within the grounds. There is also a lot of general catch-up maintenance to make safe a number of damaged or diseased trees and ensure the rather unique natural environment can be preserved for the long term. You may notice therefore increasing levels of activity in the coming months as various equipment, materials and people are brought in to help with these tasks”.
Over recent weeks, the erection of new signs on the estate has prompted questions on local social media. I asked Michael about these and how he sees the relationship developing between his family and the community. His response was a fair one:
“The Rowley family were generous over the years in hosting events and allowing access to their land. Once our initial projects are completed, we too will look to find ways for others to enjoy the grounds. In the meantime, we hope people will understand our need to balance that against the privacy we all expect in our family homes. Many of you will have seen the new signs we have erected to help identify the areas that will have public access, as opposed to those that will remain private. We are really pleased with how this has been respected so far and we thank you for your continued understanding as we work through sorting out a new future for Abbey Farm. We look forward to strengthening old friendships and creating many new ones as we settle back into the village.”
Turning pledges into hard cash
As completion is finalised, the team reaches the most difficult part of all – raising the money needed to buy this land for the community. A call for pledges in August last year saw offers totalling over £130,000 and now the time has come for these pledges to be turned into hard cash. Fundraising lead on behalf of the Abbey Fields group is Kate Brierton. Kate told me what drove her to take up this challenging role and how it is planned to gather in these vital funds:
“I have been walking the land around Abbey Fields nearly every day with my family for the last 15 years and when I heard it had come up for sale, I immediately wanted to protect it from development. I’m a clinical psychologist and there is lots of research showing that contact with nature is good for emotional and physical wellbeing. The importance of this has been underlined by the pandemic and I feel these green spaces have been invaluable during this period.
“Our minimum target is £450,000 to cover the purchase cost but our ambition is to raise significantly more than this so that we can invest the surplus to provide income to cover the cost of the upkeep. I am looking forward to collecting more pledges from individuals and local companies, as well as organising fundraising events and grant applications. Most of the funds will come from individuals in the local community but we will also be applying for grants both from local authorities and other grant awarding bodies that focus on environmental conservation. A charity is being established under our Parish Council so donors can be confident in our objectives and accountability. The fundraising and collection of pledges will take place after the charity we are forming is registered.
“It’s amazing what you can achieve with a group of like-minded people working towards a common objective. Now we’ve secured the land – I can’t wait to get started on this next phase!”
Community Action
To inform, educate and involve the whole community, a village meeting is planned. This will take place at 7.30pm on 10 June and will give everyone the opportunity to hear more from the team involved about their next steps. More details on how to join this meeting will be made available on the Abbey Fields website, here on HI HUB and across local social media.
The team is also looking for people willing to get involved with fundraising. If you have experience in fundraising or a just passion to help, please contact Kate Brierton at kate@brierton.net.
You can find out more about the project, the land and its archaeological history at the Abbey Fields website, here.
Previously on HI HUB:
https://www.hihub.info/news/unanimous-backing-for-abbey-fields-community-campaign/
https://www.hihub.info/news/abbey-farm-sale-progressing-slowly-but-surely/
https://www.hihub.info/news/optimism-grows-as-mystery-bidder-withdraws-from-abbey-farm-purchase/