we participated Cornwall Sustainability Awards 2025 Last Friday – what a night it was! More than 70 contestants, sparkling boats on the water, and twinkling lights National Maritime Museumthe atmosphere is magical.
It's great to be surrounded by so many like-minded people and businesses who are all committed to sustainability and working with the environment rather than against it.
Sacha Dench “Saw Man”
Human swabs along migration route from Norway to Africa in hovercraft
This really resonated with us as we regularly see migrating ospreys in Cornwall on their flight to Africa on our Helford Corru Kayaking Adventures at the Budock Venn Hotel. Migratory birds are a big part of what we witness on the water, and the osprey is just one of the many extraordinary species we are lucky enough to encounter.
We are absolutely delighted to see Presingoll Farm's Growers Nursery win the Nature Friendly Farming Award! Supplying local cafes like Canteen Mount Hawke, growing pumpkin and sunflower fields, and advocating for carbon sequestration – we find out more about these through carbon capture in Helford’s incredible maerl and seagrass beds.
Koru approached the farm's Inez Williams who said: “Presingoll Farm is a family run farm of 200 acres on the outskirts of St Agnes in Cornwall. The farm uses regenerative farming including purebred South Devon cattle, purebred Tamworth pigs, brassicas, low input grassland, cover crops (including phacelia), PYO Sunflower fields and pumpkin patches. We have recently integrated tree production into the farm’s five-year crop rotation plan; focusing on soil health, carbon sequestration and biodiversity. ”
“The farm is now actively managed to encourage carbon sequestration and reduce carbon release to enhance the landscape’s biodiversity and long-term soil health. Since 2018 we have adapted some of our farming practices, such as ceasing tillage and moving to minimum to no-till soil management methods. This has allowed us to improve the soil structure, allowing us to maintain the cropping system throughout the summer as the soil structure is stronger and has a higher organic matter content, retaining more water and nutrients.
“We have established a crop rotation using hawthorn and clover to provide 100% winter and spring ground cover. Not only does this reduce runoff and prevent soil erosion, it is also good for pollinators and, when subsequently used as green manure, increases SOM. If we can increase soil carbon by 1%, we should be sequestering at least 5% per acre. tons of additional carbon. While we need to do more research and collect more data, our current regeneration practices should see our carbon baseline improve by at least 5% over the next 10 years, thus sequestering 25 tons of carbon per acre.”
“By improving soil quality and encouraging the growth of beneficial insects, we are able to avoid spraying insecticides on our beech crops to control aphids – our army of ladybugs will naturally devour the aphids, an example of our investment in ecosystem services.”
“We are investing in local communities, creating entry-level jobs and running community days, including our human beaver project, building trickle dams, planting trees and working with local schools. Our next community tree day will be in the February half term and is open to families and people of all ages. If you are interested in joining one of our community days, keep an eye on our social media channels or contact contact@thegrower.co.uk”
Feel truly inspired and reminded of how interconnected sustainability is on land and water in Cornwall.
