The Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, visited the Agri-Cation farm near Bangor-on-Dee in his Clwyd South constituency on Saturday, 4th November.
Family-run Agri-Cation was established in February 2020 by Cheryl and Andrew Reeves on their Woodcroft Farm near Bangor-on-Dee with the aim of improving wellbeing by bringing together the local community to develop skills through agriculture.
The family farm hosts bespoke educational visits for schools and further education colleges in the local area as well as working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide people with opportunities to upskill and enhance their employability through alternative educational methods such as Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF). Since the start of 2023, over 300 people have visited Agri-Cation, including veterans from Woody’s Lodge in North Wales and students from Derwen College in Shropshire.
During his visit, Mr Baynes toured the farm and talked to Cheryl and Andrew and to Rebecca Hands (a student from Wrexham studying at the University of Nottingham on a placement through her university course) about their work on the farm and learning about the practices there, including the rearing of goats and calves and their on-site sensory garden and allotment. Cheryl intends to expand the business to include more outdoor education opportunities for 16–25-year-olds and talked to Mr Baynes about her work with Big Ideas in Wales to achieve this.
Speaking after the visit, Cheryl Reeves said:
“Agri-cation provides the local community the opportunity to immerse themselves in our family farming. We not only share knowledge about sustainable agricultural practices but also foster a profound connection to wildlife and nature, enhancing wellbeing and knowledge. This community interest organisation has collaborated with many great organisations since 2020 and we will continue to support the community providing a social green space for all to use. Myself, my husband and our volunteers are excited about our future plans and we hope that the community will continue to support our progression.”
Following the visit, Mr Baynes said:
“It was great to learn about the hard work of Cheryl and Andrew at Agri-Cation and to see for myself the value of outdoor education. Agri-Cation provides an important entry-point into farming and a way for young people to learn about agriculture that links conservation of our natural environment to farming. Cheryl has exciting plans about the future, and I look forward to seeing Agri-Cation expand further in the future.”
