Our farmland advisor Helen Bailey attended the royal visit to Highfield Farm, Litlington in June and spoke to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh about the work she does advising farmers. Highfield Farm is just one of the farms Helen visits as part of our involvement in the Jordans Farm Partnership.

The Duchess visited a wildflower meadow with Helen and farmer Ralph Parker where she was shown some of the species in the field.

Helen said: “The Jordans Farm Partnership is a fantastic project which brings together experts in nature and agriculture to make sure there’s more space for wildlife in our countryside. The farmers I get to meet want to do more for threatened birds like skylarks, grey partridges and yellowhammers as well as butterflies, wildflowers and hares – so it’s great to be able to give them the advice they need to make positive changes.

“It was fantastic to meet Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and talk about how the partnership has made a big difference to wildlife in our region. She was very interested to learn how farmers can produce a quality crop for supermarkets, make a profit for their business and provide feeding and nesting sites for wildlife at the same time.”

During the event Helen also spoke to a group of sixth form students about her work with farmers. The school is a Leaf demonstration school that is working towards using food, farming and environmental subjects within the curriculum.