WITH Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh in attendance, a Dartmoor farm was bought to life in the heart of London earlier this month to show the city what moorland life was all about. 

The event, known as Farm to City, was hosted by both Providence House Youth Club near Battersea, London, and the Shallowford Trust, which runs Shallowford Farm near Widdecoombe-in-the-Moor.

Situated on a small piece of land next to Clapham Junction, the ”pop-up” farm  joined young people from different local schools in activities with Dartmoor farmers, who were showcasing a selection of their livestock to inform them on their husbandry and their contribution to conservation.

Meeting and greeting calves at the event.
(Photo by Nick Cornwall)

The Duchess saw how the young people were inspired as they learnt new skills such as apple pressing and identifying wildflowers, and even gave a helping hand to those who were wool spinning. 

The Duchess  joined in with  some of the educational activities delivered by partner organisations such as Dartmoor National Park Authority, Foundation for Common Land, South West Peatland Partnership, Art and Energy, Red Tractor and Wandsworth Council. 

The event brought together agriculture and conservation and young inner-city children, in a format that encouraged real engagement within the wider community. 

Not your average London runabout - one youngster gets to grips with a tractor.
Not your average London runabout - one youngster gets to grips with a tractor. (Photo by Nick Cornwall)

Julia McDade, Manager of Shallowford Trust, said: ‘Like some insane whirlwind of disruption, we took a little slice of Dartmoor to Providence House about 100 metres from Clapham Junction train station. 

‘Squished into the car park, trailing up and down the various halls in Providence House Youth Club, Dartmoor lived in Battersea. 

‘A whole host of wonderful farmers came to talk about the sunbathing piglets who enjoyed the fuss made, the calves dosed carelessly or frisked around their little pen. 

‘Two patient ewes demonstrated how lambs can lift them off their back feet as they tuck in for milk, whilst the chicks which on arrival had been five days old, grew their tail feathers within a day, but were still cute enough to inspire, ‘Please, please can I hold one?’. 

‘To our total delight, on Tuesday, the Duchess of Edinburgh appeared as if by magic to mingle and inspire the children even more, engaging in every activity as much as the children.

‘The learning for many was phenomenal, as most of the 2,000 people that passed through the event only have a conceptual cartoon image of real animals. “ They don’t look real,” said one lad, trying to find the words to articulate his surprise and excitement.’