Ragley Open Farm Sunday raises funds for local charities
Following a successful Open Farm Sunday event at Ragley last summer, and thanks to the support of local suppliers, the estate has raised £800 to support two local charities. Guests from each of the charities recently came to Ragley Hall to meet Lord Hertford for presentation of the funds.
Lord Hertford chose to support The Lord Mayor of Alcester’s selected charity – Alcester Day Care. This charity was formed in 2016 by Carole Zambonini, and supports people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The sessions are small groups with paid caring, professional staff and volunteers helping. They currently meet three times a week at Alcester Baptist Church Hall, but are raising funds to move to a more permanent home with better facilities on the site of The Grieg Hall in Alcester. This move will also allow them to expand their facilities to support those with Parkinsons or following a stroke.
The second charity is LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), who are the organisation behind the Open Farm Sunday initiative. Their mission is to inspire and enable more circular approaches to farming and food systems through integrated, regenerative and vibrant nature-based solutions. Their education programme is something that regularly brings school-children to the estate for a range of hands-on activities. This helps to engage, inspire and empower them to make decisions that ensures we have a world that is growing, eating, and living sustainably.
Representatives from each of the charities joined Lord Hertford for presentation of the cheque and for coffee in his private study. Our thanks go to Carole Zambonini, Alcester Day Care Founder; Cllr David Henderson, Mayor of Alcester; Margaret Kerr, Alcester Day Care trustee & volunteer co-ordinator; Josephine Goodhand, Alcester Day Care volunteer; Cliff Armstrong, Alcester Day Care Advisor; Elizabeth Lake, LEAF Education; Annabel Shackleton, LEAF Open Farm Sunday.
Open Farm Sunday is made possible by Lord and Lady Hertford and their family, estate staff, volunteers from local businesses that we work with on a regular basis, and a selection of invited food and drink providers, many with their own connections to farming. They were offered a space at the event free of charge, in exchange for a donation to Lord Hertford’s selected charities.
We are grateful for the support of all of the suppliers who supported the event:
Sandfields Farms (Luddington) – vegetable growers
Tallis Amos Group (Evesham) – John Deere tractors and other machinery
Class Western (Evesham) – harvesting and agricultural equipment
Arden Forest Honey – local honey with hives on the Ragley Estate
S E Davis (Redditch) – Plant hire (and vintage agricultural equipment display)
Ceres Rural – Independent advice and business solutions for the rural economy
LEAF Education (Stoneleigh) – education specialists and advisors
Ragley Estate Woodlands – Wood chipping, biomass and wood products
Warwickshire Rural Hub – supporting rural businesses
Bomford Turner Limited (Salford Priors) – landscaping equipment
Gorsehill Abbey Farm (Broadway) – dairy farmers and ice-cream makers
Cloverleaf Events (Studley) – artisan coffee
Brummie & Brew (Birmingham) – coffees and frappes
Bennetts Ice Cream (Worcester) – ice cream makers
James Green Farm Machinery (Studley) – tractors and farm machinery
Lockwood Salads (Hinkley) – salad growers
Oversley Hill Farm (Alcester) – forest school and PYO
The Cotswold Brewing Company / Hawkestone (Cotswolds) – beer and cider
The Outdoor Pig Company (Alcester) – pig roasts and barbecue
Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service
Warwickshire Wild Game – local wild venison, pheasant and more
Weaving Machinery – drills and cultivators for low disturbance farming
East Chase Distillers (Kenilworth) – Gin and vodka distillers on their farm
We would also like to thank LEAF Open Farm Sunday for their support and guidance in helping us to continually improve our Open Farm events.
More information about the LEAF Open Farm Sunday initiative can be found on their website
Details of Ragley’s plans for Open Farm Sunday 2026 will be released shortly – Ragley Open Farm Sunday 2026
