Blade Shearing Tournament & Fleece Sale – Autumn 2023
Please find yourself invited to join us at Fernhill Farm to watch the sheep being shorn in our lively shearing shed.
World Class Blade shearers will be taking part in this bi-annual tournament to compete with plenty of the best this industry has to offer and help raise the profile of the Benefits of Blade Shearing here in the UK.
Buy fleece fresh off the boards in the shearing shed, as well as finished products made from our wool in our pop-up Sheep Shop - beautiful scarves, blankets, yarn, clothing, bespoke sheepskins and more in a range of natural and dyed colours.
Throughout the day wool spinning and peg loom weaving workshops will be available from the Fernhill Fibre team, and we welcome all those who use natural resources to promote and create rural activities.
NEW - we are also welcoming visitors to create a spinning wheel sale / exchange area - we will take no commission or lead on this, its simply a way to share resources amongst the crowd as ancient tools should be celebrated as we recognise the importance of hand tools
On the food front:
The Fernhill Farm team will be here serving up delicious tasty meals, with an array of local ciders and ales and The Coffee.Box will park up and serve amazing cakes alongside their fantastic hot beverages.
Yeo Valley Ice-creams and Home Wood Sheep Cheeses complete the local feasts on offer - all within a few miles from our farm.
Fernhill Farm meat boxes will be available from the freezers on the day - please bring your own chiller box and stock up for the Autumn feast season - Produce Shop details HERE
Fred Bonestroo will be bringing his Organic Veg truck again - Fred is a Blade Shearer who is Farmer Freds Close Farm Tetbury and grows a truly excellent range of seasonal vegetables in organic ways
Demonstrations:
Sheep Dog* demonstrations will happen just outside the shearing shed - Mike Dowden is chairman of the Come Bye and Away Sheepdog Training and Trailing group near Glastonbury and will be showing training ideas with all levels of working sheep dogs, from pups to old collies (*Please leave your dogs at home thanks)
Delighted to welcome wood carving workshops again with Tim Graham - Tim is a green woodworker and carver based in Frome. Using a variety of tools he creates spoons, cups and bowls from trees that have been recently felled. His work reflects the timber from which it has been carved utilising natural curves and bends in the wood to add strength to the finished products.
Tim will be running 30 minute carving workshops at 11am, 1pm and 3pm where participants can carve their own knitting needles using wood collected from Fernhill Farm. Please sign up at his stall on the day. www.timclivegraham.bigcartel.com @timclivegraham
Land Logic Timber will be here with all things Timbers and sharp and dangerous tools again - thanks to Rupert we have built our sheds, glamping arcs and clad our Horseshoe Barns using our home grown and local timber supplies
On the regenerative educational theme, we have a full day of farm walks and talks:
10.30am - Arran Redman from ifA - Talking Soil - Arran is a Natural Resources Advisor working with i4Agri and is leading the project Exploring Livestock Emissions (ELE) Action Group Fernhill farm is participating in - soils samples have been taken and the details showcased here at our Farm Open Day - visiting pre-dug soil pits to show the effect holistic grazing has on soil systems, plant and root dynamics with nutrient exchange.
11.30am - Nature Recovery with the local Ranger Nathan Orr from the Mendip Hills AONB - see details below at 4pm
12.30 - regenerative sessions with Christopher and Sheila Cooke from 3LM - a 2-part informative introduction to studying Regenerative Farming principles -
12.30 - Part 1 is a 45 minute overview of Fernhill Farms EOV results, indoors looking at a slideshow with Jen interpreting field analysis data with practical explanations over the last 4 years on the Land to Market Platform with Savory Institute
1.15 - Part 2 is the 3LM Land Discovery Tour walking across the land looking at key indicator species etc - all outdoors for approximately 45 minutes
2.00pm - WET Systems with Jay Abrahams from Biologic Design Ltd - Wastewater is purified naturally at Fernhill Farm by a Wetland Ecosystem Treatment or WET System, based on permaculture design principles. Jay will shows his design slides in our Saloon classroom, followed by a tour of the WET system www.biologicdesign.co.uk
4.00pm - Nature Recovery with the local Ranger Nathan Orr from the Mendip Hills AONB
This information is approximate, times may vary on the day so please do check in again when your here for the latest updates and follow our event page from September 7th
Slideshows will be within the Saloon Classroom, next to farm café and toilets - meeting point is just outside the Saloon - within the Hay Shed, opposed to the Sheep Shearing Shed
Free entry to all – it's a perfect family day out (NO DOGS) and please do get in contact if you wish to get involved wool@fernhill-farm.co.uk
All proceeds are donated as prize money for talented shearers
See official event page on Facebook here for latest information: Blade Tournament Autumn Equinox 2023
