​April 2026 Newsletter

Recent Activities

Healthy Soils - Local Farmers Share Regenerative Journey

 

A record audience of 92 attended the screening of “Six Inches of Soil” in which three young farmers recount the ups and downs of their journey into regenerative farming. The film is a story of hope, showing it is possible to farm in ways that work with nature rather than against it and that healthy soils, thriving ecosystems and productive farms can go hand in hand.

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Modern intensive agriculture has led to compacted soils that are unable to absorb rainfall and atmospheric carbon dioxide as well as increasing dependency on chemical inputs. It is a major contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss, with the UK one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet. Healthy soil is vital to resolving the climate and nature crisis yet its importance is often overlooked. 10bn tonnes of carbon are stored in UK soils, the equivalent of 80 years of greenhouse gas emissions.

 

By contrast, regenerative farming uses chemicals only sparingly, gradually reducing their use, whilst at the same time restoring soil fertility by methods including planting hedges to prevent soil erosion; deep rooted herbal lays to break up compacted soil; companion planting with legumes to fix nitrogen in the soil; reducing monoculture and introducing livestock. While initially yields fall and some crops are unsuccessful, experience shows most crop yields and biodiversity (pollinators, insects, worms and creatures higher up the food chain) increase over time.

 

Cows eat the weeds that are removed with herbicides in conventional farming. Their dung provides food for dung beetles, that in turn parasitise the larvae of flies that bother cows. By reducing the fly population fewer pesticides are used, so along with reducing other chemical inputs, overall, more greenhouse gases are removed than the cows emit, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the farm.

 

With some experts believing our soils are now so poor and compacted that we only have 40 harvests left, the regenerative farming movement, whilst still small, is attracting increasing interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were fortunate to be joined by 6 local producers dedicated to regenerative farming who provided further insights in a wide-ranging Q&A session following the screening. Childhood experiences of living on a farm were important early influences on them. All were motivated to move to regenerative farming when they noticed that “something was wrong with the soil” and that the problem needed to be tackled.

 

Tensions exist between supermarkets wanting cheap food, government needing to tackle the cost of living and biodiversity crises but also farmers needing a fair income and incentives to try new approaches. Building back soil fertility takes time so any transition to regenerative farming must take this into account. Too much haste, whilst yields initially drop but then recover, could suck in cheap food imports not produced to UK standards.

 

Our sincere thanks go to our panelists for providing a local twist to this farming initiative:

• Marianne Hill – Vitality Farm, Wallingford

• Ben Robins – Orchard Battle Farm, Preston Crowmarsh

• Mark Stevenson – The Clays, Warborough

• Rupert Belcher – Hale Farm, Benson

• Will and Catherine Davey – Brightwell Baldwin

 

The evening was rounded off by a free raffle and we thank the donors for their generosity: Nettlebed Creamery, Mark Stevenson - the Clays and Bridgid Hess - Bridgid’s Calendula Creams. The other items were donated by Eco-church members.

 

Warborough Nature Showcase

 

BANG combined forces with Warborough and Shillingford Nature Group on 7th March to showcase what we do and our future events. With 40+ people in attendance and lots of interest in what we do, we recruited two new volunteers, raised lots of interest in our programme, planned the route and got people excited about the Night-Time Safari (see “Upcoming Events” below) and much more!

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Citizen Science

Water Monitoring Reveals Pollution Hotspots in Benson/Ewelme Brook                                                              

The recent water monitoring exercise (see our March Newsletter), part of the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, showed high levels of phosphates and nitrates in Benson/Ewelme Brook, particularly within the villages with lowest levels in the middle sections. In Ewelme village phosphate levels will be investigated further to try to identify the source. Individuals can make a difference by not using fertilisers in gardens near the stream, checking septic tanks/pipes for leaks and swapping out high phosphate household detergents eg fairy liquid. Road and agricultural run-off could also be contributing factors.

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Upcoming Events

 

As the days get longer and the weather improves, we have lots in store for spring and summer. Here’s a taster of our next activities:

What’s Coming Up in April and May:

 

Dawn Chorus Walk

Saturday 2nd May, 5:00am
Meet at Cow Common, Ewelme

 

Join us at sunrise to experience the dawn chorus, with the chance to hear Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Chaffinches, Warblers and more. We’ll meet in the Cow Common car park at 5am before setting off on a leisurely approx 3 km walk, expected to take approximately 2 hours, across farmland, scrub and along the beautiful Ewelme chalk stream. Local bird experts will be on hand to share their knowledge. The walk ends at the Ewelme Watercress Beds Centre with hot drinks and breakfast.

 

Family Nature Morning

Saturday 9th May, 9:00am
Roke & Berrick Parish Hall, Berrick Salome

 

A family-friendly, hands-on morning exploring local wildlife. Activities include checking a moth trap, kick sampling in nearby streams for riverflies, owl pellet dissection and more. A great opportunity for children (and adults!) to learn more about nature on our doorstep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benson Community Celebration Event

Saturday 16th May, 10am–2pm
Benson Parish Hall, Sunnyside

 

Part of the national “Million Acts of Hope” campaign (https://millionactsofhope.org/), this event celebrates community spirit, kindness and the many groups that make Benson special. There will be displays from local organisations, including BANG, family activities and opportunities for short taster sessions such as guided walks, and exercise demos. A chance for residents - new and long-standing - to discover what’s happening locally and how to get involved.

 

Further April and May Activities

There will also be more events coming up in Warborough, including bird walks, a nighttime safari and bat walk. We will also be sharing dates to help water in the newly planted trees on the school playing field in Hopefield Grange. Full details, including dates and times, will be shared soon.

 

Dates for Your Diary – June

• Sat 13 June - Big Green Week at St Helen’s Church

• Sat 13 June - Dusk Walk and Tour of the Broad Arboretum, Earth Trust, Little Wittenham (led by John Brannon, Horticulturalist)

• Mon 15th June - a screening of this film National (Climate and Nature) Emergency Briefing Film – St Leonard’s Church, Watlington. A collaboration with Watlington Environmental Group and Watlington Climate Action Group to host followed by a facilitated community discussion.

• Sat 20 June – Moth Breakfast and Tour of Rupert Belcher’s Regenerative Farm, Benson

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1st April 2026