91Èȱ¬

Sarah Swadling meets Catherine Withers at Yew Tree Farm, the last working farm within the boundaries of Bristol. It’s a mixed farm producing organic pork and beef, as well as turkeys, chickens, fruit and vegetables. Catherine is a third generation farmer, but the land has been in production for centuries. It’s been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest because of the amount of wildlife it provides habitats for, and because of its ancient hedgerows and meadows. The Sustainable Food Trust and the University of Bristol run ‘social prescribing’ courses on the farm to boost health and wellbeing. But the farm is threatened by development on two parcels of land that Catherine rents – one earmarked for housing, the other as an extension to the council-owned crematorium next door. Housing and burial space are both much needed in Bristol, but Catherine says without these acres, the business will become untenable. How do we balance the competing demands for limited land?

Produced for 91Èȱ¬ Audio Bristol by Sally Challoner