Transforming a Welsh Smallholding: A Tale of Friendship, Restoration, and Biodiversity
Husband and wife Dean and Tracey have a decades-long friendship with Emma and Frank. And, like any friendship so deep and so long, they consider each other and the extended collection of kids to be one family.
As a family, all four wanted a place together where they could enjoy themselves and grow old together. They found a site in Wales with its own charming story.
Having bought some land, they've pulled out the vision board to start exploring what their new smallholding can look like for them and their children and what part they can play in their new community - ecologically and as neighbours.
Site at a glance
Site size: 4.75 acres
Acres planted: 1.2
Number of hedges planted: 125
Number of trees planted: 550
tCO2e after 50yrs: 187
About Team DEFT and their Welsh smallholding
Gift a Legacy: Trees and Hedges for Timeless Friendships
Give a gift that grows with time, and celebrate your friendships with a gift that lasts: trees and hedges.
When Team DEFT (Dean, Emma, Frank, and Tracey) decided to buy a smallholding, the list of criteria was stark: the land had to be big enough for two families to live on. The question of how big and where the land was was very much to be determined.
They found a site in Wales. Only Dean has a connection to Wales, coming from the Valleys.
Their five-acre smallholding is on a southerly-facing slope used for sheep grazing for decades. The land had no diversity, being classed as low-grade non-agricultural. There were no hedges, patches of flowers, or trees - nor any ponds or streams (above ground, at least). An SSSI – Cors Caranod, a raised peat bog – is approximately 300m north of the planting site.
The smallholding once belonged to Jackie and came with many treasures of a bygone era. The house and outbuildings are Grade II listed.
Walking through the house, there's Jackie's old school books from the 60s. The house is devoid of an indoor toilet - a good 30-second walk from the front door is the old outdoor loo that Jackie no-doubtedly used his time to consider installing an indoor toilet.
The house is currently uninhabitable. Team DEFT had to get emergency permission for critical restoration of the house and outbuildings as their structural integrity had fallen into such disrepair (or despair).
Frank is an architect, and all other members of Team DEFT have been involved in the creative industries. They are submitting planning permission to restore the buildings while maintaining enough of their old story that Jackie would recognise his old home.
Team DEFT inherited a smallholding that a savvy real estate agent would call "full of country charm".
How Protect Earth helped
Seeing and singing for something new is like adding lighter fluid to the imagination. Team DEFT was enthusiastic about cracking on with their new smallholding. Over dinner, drinks, and catchups, ideas were eagerly discussed.
The first big idea they landed on was rewilding! But at five acres, extensive rewilding is challenging and will make them unpopular with the neighbours. Keen to develop biodiversity on their smallholding, the collective looked to the next best thing after rewilding - developing woodlands and hedges.
Team DEFT connected with Protect Earth, telling Phil and Steve the Ecologist their vision and asking questions on the best approach for all their goals. Steve reviewed the land, its soil, the environment, and its orientation, and with Team DEFT's ideas, they formed a plan that would develop into a woodland perfectly suited to the site. The soil is slowly permeable, seasonally wet, acidic, and of reasonably low fertility. Most of the surrounding habitat is sheep-grazed rush pasture. The plan called for an 80% tree species / 20% shrub species mix, equalling 550 trees and 125 shrubs.
Moving the plan to reality, a small team of Protect Earth, Team DEFT, and Dean's very amiable son spent two days together.
A shelterbelt gracefully extending for 150 metres along the road's gentle curve has taken root. Amidst the hedging are Hawthorn, Blackthorn, and Hazel, while the subtle hues of Guelder Rose and Alder Buckthorn add their own unique flourishes.
Beneath the sheltering boughs of established elders, new saplings shall not take root, save for the occasional Hazel.
Alder, Downy Birch, and Aspen have found their home in dampened soils.
Frank couldn't contain his excitement over the history and stories of the small holding they are now stewards of. He guided Protect Earth through the house, pointing out its "country charms" with a keen architect's eye.
The rest of Team DEFT shared stories of the memories they'd already made at their small holding. It's a happy place that will make many more great memories.
Plans beyond Protect Earth's scope
Team DEFT are still working towards a solid long-term picture for their project.
But when the opportunity to daydream comes up, here are a few of the things they have planned.
Ecology
For Team DEFT, the vision doesn't stop now that trees have been planted and woodland has been established. They want to build a natural pond big enough for Tracy to swim in, while husband Dean pictures beavers in the pond.
They also want to be self-sufficient, establishing a polytunnel and kitchen garden for themselves and their guests.
A wildflower meadow may follow.
These will create a verdant site packed with biodiversity, benefitting all the inhabitants (human and otherwise).
Family
Team DEFT does not desire to live in a care home. But they can care for each other by living together and on the land.
Initially, the kids (teenagers living in London and Scotland at the time) didn't see the appeal of soggy acres in rural Wales. The place doesn't have an indoor toilet, let alone internet connectivity, with Deliveroo at the end of the phone. It's not hard to see why the kids rejected their parent's dreams with nothing more than an eye roll at first. But kids mature. And now, they enjoy visiting - they'd even admit they like it. They'd even admit they have their own ideas on stewarding the property - an utter turnaround!
Providing for each other and creating a legacy for their children is important for Team DEFT.
Community
Team DEFT has made its way into the local town of Aberaeron to share a few pints and chat with their neighbours. Becoming part of West Wales' community and fabric of life is important for Team DEFT because they want to create a retreat for themselves and their children and be members of the community.
One of their neighbours is always keen on putting bee hives where land is available, and Team DEFT is happy to give them space in their smallholding - a biodiversity win-win.
Across the road from Trefaes Uchaf is another intrepid soul moving from the world of business into the world of agriculture. Team DEFT hopes to work together, establishing a wider circle of native plants and sharing food production.
Locals and neighbours are easily charmed by Team DEFT and supportive of their plans to rejuvenate Trefaes Uchaf with its obvious nods to the land's heritage.
Sharing Trefaes Uchaf
The E in DEFT, Emma, is an artist and printmaker. One of the spaces could be used as a studio for her and others to work from.
Planning rules dictate that the two barns on the site will be used as holiday lets, where visitors can relax in the paradise being created, and be fed directly from the polytunnel/ kitchen garden and from the neighbours across the road - a modern take on borrowing a cup of sugar from the neighbours!
To sum up
In a heartwarming tale of friendship and shared dreams, Dean, Tracey, Emma, and Frank embarked on a journey to breathe new life into a five-acre smallholding in Wales's picturesque landscapes.
Their story began with a vision of creating a haven where they could grow old together, nurture the land, and foster biodiversity.
Under the expert supervision of Phil and Steve the Ecologist, Team DEFT embarked on a mission to revitalise their smallholding. Through meticulous planning and hard work, they are transforming the barren landscape into a thriving woodland sanctuary. With a mix of tree and shrub species carefully selected to suit the site's unique characteristics, they planted the seeds of biodiversity that will flourish for generations.
Team DEFT extends a call to action to fellow smallholders: reach out to Protect Earth and take the first step towards transforming your land into a thriving ecosystem. Together, we can create a greener, more sustainable future—one smallholding at a time. Join us in our mission to protect and preserve the natural world for future generations.
