The Trust's Estates in Gloucestershire

The Slimbridge Estate
2,480 acres

In contrast to the other Ernest Cook Trust estates, the Slimbridge Estate is a relatively modern creation: it was based on an original purchase in 1945 of 1,109 acres in the parishes of Slimbridge and Gossington out of the sale of outlying portions of the Berkeley Castle Estate. The Berkeley Estate had for years been a famous sporting estate although the last Earl of Berkeley, who died young, was more interested in the sciences.

Ernest Cook extended the estate further by purchasing Breadstone Farm and Wanswell Court from the Berkeley family; the current ECT holding comprises 2,480 acres.

While most of the other Trust estates are predominantly used for arable cropping, the Slimbridge Estate is mainly grassland and includes three of the Trust’s nine dairy farms. These farms produce milk which, in one form or another, ends up on the shelves of supermarkets.

These three farms demonstrate the wide variety of countryside businesses supported on the Trust's estates.

Farmer Simon Pain provides livery and equine services and has been a runner-up in the prestigious Pintail Awards which promote good conservation practice, while fellow farm tenants Tim and Caroline Wilson are previous winners of the Cotswold Life Magazine Food Producer of the Year Awards for their organically reared pork products.

The woods are an important feature of the Slimbridge Estate and are managed to combine the production of quality oak in conifer nurse crops with ecological biodiversity.

Unfortunately the issues associated with climate change have already reached this part of the countryside – problems have been experienced with the Norway Spruce trees which are suffering from sub top crown die back, which appears to be caused by milder winters. When the roots are dormant, the warmer air stimulates the top of the tree to start growing; this growth drains on sap that is not rising, causing stress and die back. The problem has been widespread across the estate, resulting in the need to fell all the Spruce. However, these areas are being replanted and are used increasingly for the Trust's educational visits.

‘Bug hotels’ award for Billow Farm

ECT tenants Simon and Hazel Pain have added to their impressive record on farm conservation by winning the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group’s 2011 Silver Pintail Award.

The couple have spent the last ten years improving the environment for wildlife at Billow Farm on the Slimbridge Estate in Gloucestershire. Last year Simon won a national award from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species for his work protecting the hazel dormouse.

The Silver Pintail award embraced the launch of the UN Decade of Biodiversity 2011-2020, and this year’s theme was ‘pollinators on the farm’.

Billow Farm was able to demonstrate a varied source of pollen and nectar-rich fields and margins, encouraging pollinators to create their homes in ‘bug hotels’ – made from stacked wooden pallets stuffed with hay, brick and cardboard.

“When they announced we’d won, I couldn’t believe it,” said Simon. “In the past we have ended up in the top five, but to actually win this national award is a real accolade.”

Nicholas Ford said: “On behalf of everyone at ECT I would like to congratulate Simon and Hazel for their award – it’s a real tribute to all their hard conservation work at Billow Farm.”