CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND: INTERGENERATIONAL NATURE RESTORATION
Inspired by The Penpont Project in Wales // Photography by Andy Pilsbury // Poetry by Ifor Ap Glyn // Exhibited at Penpont Estate in Wales
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‘TRWSIO’R TIR’
‘LAND-MENDING’
Words by Hot Poet Ifor ap Glyn //
Photography by Andy Pilsbury //
Inspired by The Penpont Project in Wales
Long ago, when our tribe followed grazing-tracks,
from the dales to the downs,
the children would run ahead;
the first to see the deep and dewy pasture
from the top of the ridge,
their fervent voices proclaiming a new beginning…
Today, with our farms boundary-stitched
in patchwork fields, country-wide,
the farmers of our tribe stay put.
they know their home-turf, season by season, generation by generation
but they too ‘keep moving’,
mentally saddling up,
so they don’t overgraze established ideas,
nor drink the wisdom of the old wells dry
and the young lead the way, as before.
Which is how it is, at Penpont;
here, the needle of youthful questions
is brought to embroider new maps;
as they learn from older farmhands
how to keep hedgerows from unravelling,
how to sew buttonholes of trees, on a field’s chest.
And this is no ‘youthwash’;
around the table, they get to speak their minds,
before rolling up sleeves, restoring wetland,
wrapping wool, or cutting swathes of oats
upside down into paper bags,
each bearing the names of neglected strains: ‘Ieuan’s’, ‘hen Gardi’ and ‘Maldwyn’.
And this is no attempt to hit ‘reset’,
creating empty canvas for a clueless utopia;
there are lessons still, in old place-names –
‘birch field’, ‘gorse field’ or ‘alder-grove’.
And today’s hi-tech collars
can teach a sheep (or cow) to graze,
– like the herds of long ago,
swiftly and with zest
before they’re impelled onwards
and the fields allowed to rest.
And in this land where rustic homes
were once ‘magicked’ overnight,
not everything today leaves through the farm-gate.
We find carbon capture here;
the stopping of rains from swelling to flood;
a refuge for soil-life and curlew alike.
‘The old know, and the young think they know’
says the old Welsh proverb-
but we need their youthful energy
to make us bolder,
when our country’s farmers are (mostly)
getting older;
and maybe it’s easier
to lend an ear to the young,
with their frank, wide-eyed queries,
than to the Ministry’s men, with their reliance
on regulations and science.
At Penpont, viewpoints are exchanged;
dynamic dialogue that can re-story the land.
Collaborating like this, is the future
for our manifold, city-centric tribe
who still need their fill from the fields…
And the youngsters shout tirelessly back
from the crest of the hill that’s ahead;
and let us pay heed
to what they have seen –
as we would have, long ago…
ABOUT THIS STORY OF NATURE RESTORATION
The UK’s largest intergenerational nature restoration project began in Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in 2019. The Penpont Project’s custodians are a co-management council, comprising a youth Leadership Group of 13-18 year-olds, farmers, landowners, the charity Action for Conservation, and local people from artists to ecologists. The more-than-human beings of Penpont – whether otter or oak – are part of this partnership, too.
Through a multi-generational, multi-species exchange of knowledge, including the creation of ‘eco-cultural maps’, The Penpont Project’s participants have pieced together a picture of the natural and cultural diversity once sustained by these lands and waters. They have looked at present conditions with fresh eyes and made an ambitious, shared plan to restore nature in a way that celebrates Welsh farming traditions while opening the space to more young people. It is their deeply held belief that, by restoring nature, we can restore ourselves.
Hundreds of people are now welcomed each year, where together they have planted over 10,000 trees, restored ponds and created willow beds. Penpont’s farmers are working towards more regenerative practices, and new youth ranger and artist-in-residence programmes are blossoming.
This exhibition celebrates Penpont’s intergenerational restoration through breath-taking photography by Andy Pilsbury, paintings by Robert MacDonald (Penpont resident and former Chair of the Royal Welsh Watercolour Society), poetry by Ifor ap Glyn (former National Poet of Wales) and new artwork by Hana Salih (Penpont’s young artist in residence).
As Penpont’s young people start to tread the footsteps of their forebears, they are rediscovering lost place names: Pwll y Drainog (Pool of the Hedgehog), Gwern Ffawr (Big Alder Bog) and Heol Ddu (The Dark Road). Each is a poem from the past and a promise for the future.
HEAR FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORS
“It’s been a really important experience for me growing up. I’ve grown up with the project and it’s formed a lot of the basis of my adult opinions and the way I see the world now.”
– Hana Salih, Action for Conservation youth member
Hear from the incredible contributors to Penpont Estate and our Wales story in this Regenerative Conversation about intergenerational agriculture:
PENPONT NATURE RESTORATION IN THE PRESS
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Featuring photographs by Andy Pilsbury in combination with Robert McDonald’s etchings and words from Ifor ap Glyn, this beautiful feature from Resurgence & Ecologist highlights the role of storytelling on the pathway to a sustainable food system.
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INTERGENERATIONAL COLLABORATION FROM GRASS TO GALLERIES
Our exhibition at Penpont (soon showing in Brecon) featured a unique artistic partnership, mirroring the collaborative custodianship of the land. Resident and renowned artist, Robert McDonald, adorned a selection of Andy Pilsbury’s photographs with etchings, unveiling the hidden creatures and processes behind the still images.
YOUR PIECE OF PENPONT
Detailing the magic of Penpont Estate, Andy has released a limited edition run of handmade books. Preserving his photographs from across the seasons, alongside maps and materials gathered in his time on the land, Aelwyd is a true representation of this collaboration.
The book and its accompanying materials now sit in Penpont’s Land Library, where it will be read and used by young people and the public as one of many ways to connect with nature in this special place.
You can treasure your own piece of Penpont by purchasing Aelwyd. Get in touch to get your copy.
Photography Gallery
