Earlier this year we were asked to contribute to The September edition of environmental SCIENTIST – the journal of the #InstitutionofEnvironmentalSciences(IES) – examines the evolving concept of ‘net gain’ in environmental policy frameworks, from both a UK and global perspective.

For the first time in a generation, Alscot Estate has the opportunity to consider its long term land use strategy. This comes at a time where the agricultural transition in England, alongside a broader political agenda of tackling environmental crises, means that rural land management is now focused not only on quality food production, but also on environmental provision and social value.

As a result, Alscot’s ambition is to farm in a regenerative manner and from September 2024, we began farming regeneratively on “home farm” land.

Joining the electric revolution with our cutting-edge fleet of electric vehicles!

Our team are experiencing eco-friendly transportation without compromising on style or performance. Say goodbye to gas and hello to a cleaner, greener future. Oh and to the Scooby Buzz as this one has been affectionately named by its eco-friendly driver, Darren.

On Thursday 6th June Alscot Estate invited guests to a private screening of the documentary film, Six Inches of Soil. The film tells the inspiring story of three young British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, our health and provide for local communities. The screening took place at Everyman, Stratford upon Avon and included a drinks reception, introduction to the film by Colin Ramsay, Film Director, and a Q&A session. The panel included, Colin Ramsay, Emma Holman-West, Estate Owner, Paddy Hoare and Tom Gurney, Perdix Partnership and Simon Cutter, Farmer and Founder of Model Farm Society. Simon began rearing organic livestock and organic produce long before the ‘Organic bandwagon’ started to roll in the wake of the BSE crisis in the early 1990’s. Featuring on BBC Country file, Simon has been a pioneer in pasture fed, organic and free-range livestock with a passion for nature and natural food produce.

Lead by Tom Genders and accompanied by other enthusiastic teachers, the year 6 students from The Croft Preparatory School ventured to the Estate’s BNG land to take part in practical nature studies. The children took on a series of tasks including, orienteering, identifying native tree species, an invertebrates study and a wildlife ID walk where they identified bird song. The activity day is a big hit with the children and school, and is now in its third successful year.

Recently, on a beautiful warmer than average September day (poignant given the nature of the event), we had the pleasure of hosting leaders and members of our local authority - Stratford upon Avon District Council. Following the change in local government earlier this year, members of the Alscot Estate team, including Emma Holman-West and Jack Kennedy, introduced the Alscot Biodiversity Net Gain Project and how Alscot is contributing to deliver the UK’s climate change ambitions.

Watch on You Tube

The 1st Tiddington Scouts joined us in June this year on their volunteering week. The group of 10-14 year olds joined forester, Dave, and learnt various aspects of forestry and woodland management, including the importance of providing habitats for wildlife species, and why we need to protect young trees in the wild. The group helped in various roles by collecting used tree guards, placing sheeps wool into tree guards to discourage deer, and they dug trenches on the edge of the woodlands to help create habitats for invertebrates. The Scouts were really engaged and have asked to come back another time!

The year 6 students from The Croft Preparatory School ventured to the Estate again this week to take part in nature studies on the biodiversity land at Alscot. The children took part in orienteering, identifying native tree species, an invertebrates study and a wildlife and plant ID walk. We hope the activity day inspired the children to become a positive voice for nature in future, and based on their enthusiasm, even on a damp day, we have no doubt that they will.

Click HERE for the video

This was us, July 2019, David Lowe -Team Leader, Ecology, Historic Environment & Landscape at Warwickshire County Council David Cole - Ecologist WCC, Stephanie Matthews - Natural England Kurt Goodman & Sam Arthur - FPCR and Jonathan Thompson - Alscot’s BNG Consultant, walking, talking, observing and considering the future of biodiversity net gain at Alscot. These photos were taken during the two years of research and monitoring before we finally entered into a min. 30yr contractual term in April 2020, as one of the first private landowners in the UK to offer BNG land to developers, through a formal, accountable and monitored scheme.

The tree planting season is well under way at Alscot, albeit a little later than usual due to the exceptionally dry autumn. In January we took delivery of over 3,000 new trees including established English Oak and Beech, plus mixed species hedging and shrubs for various locations.

As part of the Estate’s overall long-term strategic vision, we operate a policy to explore and implement sustainable practices across the Estate. Our aim is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 although progress is already good and we are very confident that we can achieve our goal ahead of target.
The new initiatve for 2023 sees the full team gather twice a year to focus on and discuss ways in which we could asssit the environment. The level of genuine interest and contributions has so far been hugely gratifying, and as much as we all have very serious concerns for the planet, the enthusiasm for the environment in relation to the Estate, local community and our future generations is encouraging to say the least. 

Alscot Park was the venue on Friday 9th Dec for the C&W Chamber of Commerce South Warwickshire Branch Meeting. The topic of conversation was green skills and how businesses are focusing on becoming more sustainable. It was a great opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and businesses and share thoughts, ideas and connections.

On an exceptionally cold and wet February Sunday, students from four local primary schools braved the biting weather to plant young fruit trees to create a new orchard at Alscot.

Fast forward 8 months to autumn, with plenty of sunshine and TLC over the spring and summer months and the trees are all flourishing.

In January 2021 we started the Estate’s Ditch Maintenance Program. Covering circa 4,000 acres of land it’s a huge and on-going undertaking, concentrating on Clifford Chambers and Atherstone on Stour in the first year, extending to land in Preston on Stour and Alderminster, and the rotation system allows wildlife to recolonize.

We have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Coventry/Warwickshire Live Business Awards 2022 in the Green Business of the Year category for the Alscot Biodiversity Project.

The Awards celebrate the city's finest businesses, entrepreneurs, and organisations across 12 different categories

The Croft Launch the First Primary School Environmental Activity Study Day on the Alscot Biodiversity Project Site.

They say doing something later is better than not doing it at all and much can be said for this new environmental opportunity. We are thrilled and delighted that following a long postponement, a group of year six children and their teachers, have taken part in the very first Alscot Biodiversity Project Activity Study Day.

On Thursday 28th April, teacher Tom Genders lead a group of forty year six students, aged 10-11yrs, in a series of activities, discovering and learning different aspects of plant and wildlife in the local countryside. Mariya Tarnavska and Ben Wood, Ecologists at Warwickshire County Council, who support the venture, joined the children to share lots of interesting facts on amphibians, and even brought along some young toads and newts. Masha commented “we were both impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the children. It was heart-warming when two children shared with us that they would like to like to learn more about animals and become biologists.”

We are delighted to be taking part in this initiative by Stratford-on-Avon District Council along with Shakespeare Birthplace Trust as the first two businesses to sign up to the trial.

These electric bikes are excellent for transporting stock on short journeys rather than using a car or van. If any Alscot businesses are interested in joining the initiative then drop us a line and we will put you in touch with the organiser.

Read more details HERE

Alscot has donated a beautiful oak tree to Nettlefold Garden, just one of the projects run by Moor Pool Heritage Trust; a charity formed specifically to acquire the community facilities for the benefit of the local and wider community. The tree has been donated and planted as part of The Queen's Green Canopy initiative to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year. The tree will be formally recognised at an event over the Jubilee weekend 2-5th June 2022.

To learn more about The MPHT follow the link http://moorpoolhall.org.uk/.../moor-pool-heritage-trust.html

Despite the heavy rain and biting cold wind, it was muddy boots, wet weather gear and big smiles all the way at the Alscot Biodiversity Project Tree Planting Workshop on Sunday 13th February.

The Croft Preparatory School have embraced the collaboration with Alscot and Mr Tom Genders, Head of The Croft Eco Club, keen gardener, and environmentalist, held a voluntary Tree Planting Workshop for local primary school children.

Our work with local primary schools, through the Alscot Biodiversity Project, took us to Bridgetown Primary School, to help out in their eco garden. When Mrs Bishop appealed for help, we were delighted to assist with replacement timber for the children to use as seats around the fire pit. The rotten wood will remain in the garden and over time will form a habitat and shelter for wildlife.

In ‘Forest School’, the children are allowed to explore for themselves the natural environment, learning to appreciate and gain a respect for nature.

As a little gift from us, our foresters made the children a couple of timber mushrooms.

In the spring of 2021 we bid farewell to an old tree sited in a historic location on the Estate. The Common Walnut tree at the site of the former Cutlin Mill had been declared unsafe, as age, disease and environmental factors had all contributed to its demise and it was reduced to a standing monolith. In an attempt to resurrect life into the old site, located in a prominent position of Atherstone on Stour, we have today planted a replacement common walnut tree. The Juglans Regia, a large deciduous tree, attaining heights of 25–35 m (80 to 120 ft), and a trunk up to 2 m (6 ft) in diameter, has been planted in the perfect spot to afford this light demanding tree plenty of sunlight.

Pre-war, an avenue of trees stood on Alscot land that started at Lodge Park and swept across the land as far as Top Park. Using the two remaining oak trees as the starting point, a new avenue of oak trees has been planted across Lodge Park in the first phase to recreate the avenue that was lost to war time needs.

The new avenue is being planted to recognise James Holman-West’s forthcoming 21st birthday. Each of the 42 oak trees, 21 either side, were originally planted on the Estate over 10 years ago in a nursery woodland and have been transported using a mechanical tree spade.

It is hoped that eventually we can continue the avenue with another phase of planting.

Our team are busy planting 465 new trees in a variety of species in our woodlands.

This is to combat the devastation caused by Ash Die-Back, a disease with disastrous results for the landscape and biodiversity.

This method of forestry helps prevent major loss and counteracts the devastating impact on the woodlands and connecting habitats. Without action the disease will spread and we could lose more trees than necessary as well as connecting hedge rows and other trees on surrounding land.

In addition we have planted 1,318 hedging plants of different species in various locations, by way of a positive attempt to rejuvenate existing hedgerows, as well as creating new ones.

New hedgerows follow Natural England’s suggested species to encourage biodiversity and are a mix of 80% hawthorn and the remaining 20% made up of field maple, dog wood, hazel, midland hawthorn, spindle, wild privet, blackthorn and purging buckthorn.

As a leading project of its type, we are pleased to continually welcome Government officials and representatives and members of local and county authorities, to the Alscot Biodiversity Project and our aims for carbon neutrality.

Our latest event took in the site on foot and we, along with our team of expert ecologists, showcased our current flagship project and future development plan to expand Biodiversity land.

We are delighted to launch Leaves for Leases part of our on-going commitment to the environment, climate change and our aim to become carbon zero by 2050. The initiative will see a new tree planted for each new Alscot commercial and residential tenancy, going forward.

Earlier this summer we held a presentation to announce the winners and award the prizes of the Alscot Biodiversity Art Competition; a project for local primary school children to design a logo that represents nature in Warwickshire.
Since then we have been working hard to finalise the official logo to represent the connection between education and the Alscot Biodiversity Project, and particularly our engagement with local primary schools. The creation is a collaboration of elements taken from some of the winning pieces of art and we think this depicts biodiversity on the Estate, and our responsibility to the planet, beautifully.

Alscot aims to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050, thus assisting climate change.

It is our mission to work to secure a future for plant and animal species by the improvement and enhancement of natural grasslands and woodlands, encouraging rare and almost extinct species to thrive. The principal to establish a functioning ecosystem, where nature is given as much freedom as possible, is a leading influence for all future land projects at Alscot. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a key component in achieving these objectives.

This vlog featuring Emma Holman-West, Jon Dearsley and Ben Knight, explores how the Alscot Estate has created one of the first habitat banks in the country. Emma discusses her Estate’s journey to achieving biodiversity net gain.

Savills UK | Creating habitat banks on your land soundbyte

We had the most wonderful day when the winners of the Alscot Biodiversity Art Competition were announced and the children collected their prizes!