Stephen Powell, on a forest farm in Wales
Wednesday 8 September 2010

STEPHEN POWELL

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Of all the interviews I did for Reuters, one in particular stands out in my memory. On a summer’s day in 1977 I knocked on the door of EF Schumacher, author of one of the iconic texts of the environmental movement, Small is Beautiful. The smell of bread baking in the oven greeted my nostrils and Schumacher struck me as a man who walked the talk, doing the little things that indicate a human being in harmony with his values.

Schumacher, a tall man with a commanding presence, took the conversation to the subject of trees. He had a simple mantra: “What we need is trees.” He argued that food-bearing trees had huge potential to be a big part of a saner, more eco-friendly agriculture.

This man left his mark on me and years later I bought a farm in Wales with his words still ringing in my ears. The farm, Llwyn Ffranc, is richly endowed with more than 50 acres of woodland which stretch up the slopes of a holy mountain called the Skirrid.

After leaving Reuters I completed training to be a life coach and I have used the farm as the venue for leadership courses with an environmental thread. We call the courses “Gaian leadership” and at the first course in 2007 no fewer than three former Reuters colleagues turned up.

farm and lake pic
Antony Parry, a former journalist, did some facilitation. Mark Brayne, who also worked as a correspondent, and Andy Denne, a former marketing executive, came as participants.  

Now, my life as coach and farm owner, is at a crossroads. My dream is to develop this extraordinary place as a community-owned forest farm, setting the pace in low-carbon farming and being a learning centre for those who care about the long-term human future.

For personal reasons I have to let go of the farm. But I want to hold onto the dream and develop this community enterprise. The nub of my story right now is that I have to prove to a court by 15 September that there is public support for my proposal to launch what is termed a “community share offer”. I have set up the legal vehicle, called an industrial and provident society, to make such an offer and buy the farm.

My target is to gather £60,000 worth of pledges by the middle of the month. We are a team doing this and so far we have gathered some £15,000 worth of pledges. If you e-mail me at
● communityforestfarm@gmail.com or call +44 1873 890032 I can give you more information.

Photos: Stephen Powell and Llwyn Ffranc, his farm in Wales

Stephen Powell was with Reuters from 1974 to 2001 as a reporter, chief correspondent and senior desk editor.