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Photo-diaries

An Oxfordshire farmer and an Oxfordshire Grower kept a photo-diary for the AgriCultured Project in early 2003. A grower, Ginny Stay, at North Aston Organics near Bicester in Oxfordshire, and John Willmer, who farms at Friars Court near Clanfield in Oxfordshire, used re-usable cameras and annotated the resulting photos.

The participants in the photo-diary project could photograph whatever they wanted but a letter to them gave suggestions and guidance.The two photo-diaries were completed by the end of April 2003. Cameras were issued in the second and third week of December 2002 to the participants and it's believed most of the photographs were taken in March or April 2003.

Ginny Stay photo-diary

Address: North Aston Organics. 3 Somerton Road, North Aston, Oxon OX25 6HP
Telephone: 01869 347702

Ginny Stay writes:

‘We rent 14 acres and grow a wide rang of vegetables which are sold through a box scheme.

It is unusual to find small scale market gardening these days but because of the strong demand for organic veg. and because we retail everything we grow it seems to work.

'Box schemes are also unconventional because we decide what vegetables our customers will eat each week! That’s why we grow such a wide range, so that there’s always something different in the boxes each week.

'As well as providing a stable income for the farmers, box schemes can help bring back the pleasures of seasonal eating, providing fresh and hopefully tasty food and reduce packaging and food miles.

'North Aston Organics comprises Mark and Ginny Stay, Matt Oale, Stephen Randall, Ed Bridge, Pauline White and Gil Woods.’

Source: Handwritten note by Ginny Stay

See the photo-diary of Ginny Stay, grower as a slide show or a page of slides
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John Willmer photo-diary


Address: Friars Court, Clanfield, Oxon. OX18 2SU.
Telephone: 01367 810206
Website: www.friarscourt.co.uk

Friars Court is adjacent to the Thames river between Clanfield and Faringdon in Oxfordshire. The farm is 575 acres (232.7 hectares) in size and used for: arable (400 acres), grassland/grazing (100 acres), woodland and lakes (75 acres). The arable land is tenanted out for wheat, barley and oil seed rape. There are about thirty beef cattle which are owned by the farm.

From the 1980s the farm diversified. A laundry at the farm was made into a tearoom; paths or nature trails created and woodland planted. A wetland and lake were created in 1983. The Forestry Commission conducts trials of willow trees on the farm. The farm receives grants under nationally recognised conservation schemes. Farm visits are an important part of the farm business. John Willmer runs the farm and lives in the farm house. His son Charles looks after the leisure business. 

Source:
Andrew Wood, January 2004, based on ‘Friars Court’ booklet published by the farm. 

See the photo-diary of John Willmer, farmer as a slide show or as a page of slides
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