Come and meet us at one of our events
Unless stated events are free to members. There is a a small charge for non-members
The events below are only the tip of the iceberg there are lots more to come.
Don't forget to heck out out calendar.
Event Booking
Unless other wise stated :- Booking via:
On receipt of your booking you will be given the venue address and directions.
Please note toilet facilities may not always be available. Dogs only by prior consent at booking.
Most or our events are run by members for member. Aside from what the event itself is sharing it's amazing what you can learn on the side by chatting to fellow smallholders. It’s also a great way to meet up with old friends and find some friends not-yet-made, make or swop contacts, discover what skills or livestock other smallholders have, and generally just have a lovely social time out. There’s often tea and cake available too . So, if you’ve not yet attended one of the SSA courses, now’s the time to change that…..
Renting Holiday Accommodations – a Workshop with Kate Morel
24th July 10-30am to 2pm Venue: Near Chard, Somerset TA20
Kate’s background includes holiday property rental and ten years working in the glamping sector. As an industry professional, she now works independently supporting land and business owners to effectively develop or diversify into boutique and experiential types of holiday lets. This is a great opportunity to meet Kate and learn from her considerable expertise so it is essential to book early!
The domestic UK holiday market has been on a steady increase for the last few years and has certainly ramped up
due to the effects of Covid. As a result, a lot more landowners are looking to glamping and holiday cottage rental as a
diversification option, and there are indeed opportunities worth exploring. Kate is, however, keen to ensure that
anyone thinking of investing in this type of business does so in full awareness of the respective set-up costs and work
involved, and especially in consideration of where the industry could be in two to five years’ time. Kate will cover a lot
of ground including how to stand out from the crowd by creating a strong business model and guest experience, the
types of glamping accommodation structures available and indicative purchase costs, the fun and not-so-fun sides of
hospitality, and how to get the bookings – marketing options. There will be a Bring and Share lunch.
Booking :- see above
2 events in one day - Saturday 21st August
Pig Keeping and BBQ
Saturday 21st August 11am - 1.30pm
Venue: Near Freshford, Bath BA2
From farm to fork, join us on this scheduled ancient monument site, just outside Bath, for a demonstration of how we rear our piglets on varied terrain and household waste, as well as how we have them slaughtered and butchered. We will also explain how the pigs have helped us with wild meadow flower creation and bracken control. You are very welcome to stay for a BBQ to sample the different flavours of sausages we make as well as some of our locally-made ice creams. No charge, but please book. Refreshments start with coffee and biscuits at 11am prompt. Please note: allergies and food intolerances cannot be specifically catered for.
Booking see above.
Open Smallholding including Tool Sharpening
Saturday 21st August 2.30pm - 5pm
Venue: near Castle Cary BA7
Come along and see a smallholding with poultry, Zwartbles sheep and polytunnel run with conservation in mind. A great opportunity to see how others do things and hopefully pick up some ideas and tips.
A professional tool sharpener will be at the event who, for a small charge, will sharpen smallholding tools including all types of shears, knives, mower blades etc so this is a great opportunity to see how an established smallholding is run and also to go away with your cutting tools in peak condition. Please bring cash and card to pay as we don’t know at this point which will be required to pay for any sharpening.
Booking see above
Sheep 101 Workshop with experienced Quantock sheep farmer/shepherdess
Saturday 25th September 11am till 2pm Venue: Crowcombe, Quantock Hills TA4
Come and learn all about basic sheep care in the heart of the Quantock Hills (not far from Crowcombe) from our host
who keeps pedigree Ryelands and Leicester Longwools and whose lambing shed has grown up organically. Please
bring a plate of food (labelling any significant allergens) for a Bring and Share lunch which is an ideal opportunity to
glean information and get to know fellow smallholders. Drinks will be provided. Toilet facilities available. Please wrap
up warm with suitable footwear. No dogs please.
Booking - see above
Crafty Connections restarts on 7th August
We meet just north of Chard on the first Saturday in the month and our meetings are open from 10:00 till 14:00 Come when you can there is no need to attend the whole session.
So what is Crafty Connections? – Crafty Connections has two purposes.
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To get together with other crafters and learn, share and/or be inspired by each other.
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To Connect with other smallholders and learn, share and/or be inspired by each other.
We are a relaxed group with almost no rules. Bring something with you that may or may not have a vague craft connection that you can sit and do while we talk about whatever topic the conversation takes us to. To be honest we don’t even mind if you don’t bring a craft you can just come and connect.
One of the strengths of the group is that we have a wide range of craft and smallholder knowledge that we are happy to share. We don’t normally hold formal craft workshops but instead if you want help with something or would like to learn a new skill then drop me an email at Crafty@smallholdersomerset.com and we will see if we know someone who can help at a future meeting.
We will be having a special parallel event at our August meeting whereby some natural dyers will be sharing their secrets in a have a go event. If you’re interested then contact me via Crafty@smallholdersomerset.com and if you are a natural dyer then come and share what you do and pick up some new ideas.
Produce Show and AGM
Saturday 11th September at 12 noon Venue: Near Chard, Somerset TA20
Save the date!
As well as the AGM we traditional have a fun produce show/competition. More details to follow but this year will have a slightly different twist to it!
Orchard management and cider making.
We are currently organising an orchard management and cider making event for early in 2022 - more details to follow
In the Pipeline
We have lots of ideas for events for the future including: butchery, foraging, fermenting (for food and for drinks), unusual fruit and veg, a multi-activity workshop, Christmas produce fair and more of the popular smallholding Q&A’s.
Further details of all of these, and more exciting and informative events, will be available in the upcoming magazines here on the website and also Facebook, so stay tuned and don’t forget to book early to secure your place!
Contact Ian Jones Events@SmallholderSomerset.com
Details of events are updated regularly - for more information please refer to the SSA magazine.
or follow the contact link.
Do you have an idea for a training event or workshop? Please contact me and I will make it happen -
Events@SmallholderSomerset.com