The project area includes diverse habitats between Gradbach and Warslow including moorland, woodland, grassland and blanket bog. This distinctive landscape is home to many farming families who have lived and farmed this land for decades. Additionally, the area supports a unique range of wildlife including eye-catching moorland plants like bog asphodel and iconic birds such as curlew. 

Together with farmers and the Ministry of Defence, the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) and Staffordshire Wildlife Trust are custodians of the project landscape. It has great potential to be more connected for nature. The project team, led by PDNPA, have an aspiration to map the way forward. Creating a blueprint which can be used countrywide. By combining sustainable food production, climate protection and increasing biodiversity, together we can create a positive future for people and wildlife.  

One family's inspiring story

In autumn 2024, first-generation farmers Sarah and Carl excitedly collected the keys to Knowle Farm in the Staffordshire Moorlands. They are one of the farming families involved in this development project.

Here Sarah reflects on their first year as PDNPA tenant farmers and explains why they’ve chosen to be involved in the Morridge Hill Country Project.

A brave decision 

Securing this tenancy was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. I previously worked in child protection but always had a strong interest in sustainable food production and dreamt of becoming a farmer. We found juggling our jobs and raising a family a constant whirlwind - we found the rat race a bit too fast and it began to impact our mental health. We longed to make a change; it really was make or break. 

During a holiday to Lancashire in October 2017 we visited a dairy farm attraction. Watching the cows at milking time left us all spellbound... the smell of the dairy, the noise of the cows. It sparked a childhood memory I had of visiting Amerton Farm with my grandparents to watch the cows being milked. It was a sign; it was time to make the change.

I left my job and stepped away from convention, leaving behind a mortgage, pensions and stability to fulfil our ambition to produce our own food. It wasn’t just about knowing where our food came from: we wanted to get our hands dirty rearing animals to high welfare standards and produce food free from pesticides, artificial fertilisers and chemicals. We wanted to raise animals to live full and meaningful lives, free from cages and intensive rearing methods, and to leave the land and soil in a better condition than we found them.

Building our farming life

I began working as a relief milker on a dairy farm in Macclesfield. I’m so thankful to farmer Alan Brocklehurst for giving me a chance to work for him, my first step into agriculture. Alan trained me up and tried his best to put me off, but he failed! In 2019 we moved into a rented farmhouse in Rushton Spencer. It didn’t have land, so we rented some 12 miles away and here began our livestock journey. 

We raised sheep, pigs and cattle. We desperately longed for a farmhouse with land, to fully embrace this new life, and spent months pouring our hearts and souls into farm tenancy applications. We came second in the running for three farms before we were finally chosen to take on Knowle Farm. We were  ecstatic when we heard we’d been chosen – it's a dream come true!

The farm consists of a beautiful, traditional stone farmhouse complete with barns and outbuildings. Importantly, it sits in 56 acres of land, with the chance to rent further land. The opportunity PDNPA gave us has changed our lives. We have a viable opportunity to farm, and we finally live with our animals! Raising our five children on a farm suits us and we have all adapted to farm life like ducks to water. 

Our first year on the farm

In November 2024 we moved our Hereford cows home, off rented land, and in September 2025 we welcomed our first home bred calf, a very special moment. The cows spend winter in the barn, protecting the land from poaching and resting it. They’re fed locally grown hay and this winter will eat hay from our own hay meadows, although sadly we had to buy some in, as we didn’t make as much as we’d projected due to the long dry summer we’ve had - a problem faced by most farmers this year. 

We also run a flock of Derbyshire gritstone sheep, which are listed as rare on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) watchlist. We also have a small flock of Herdwicks and some pedigree Ryelands, which live on additional rented ground and live out all year round, only coming into our shed for lambing. This year my eldest son requested his own sheep for his 14th birthday. So, we bought him four Herdwick ewes and he’s saving his pocket money for a ram! 

In spring 2025 we were busy lambing and all the kids enjoyed helping. In June we sheared the sheep. Ryelands are so woolly, so shearing reduces the chances of them overheating and being hit by fly strike. I sleep better at night when this job is done! 

Our first summer on the farm was incredible as we watched the 16 acres of hay meadows come to life. Our evening walks were spent spotting insects and watching the local barn owl hunt. We leave the hay meadows to flourish between April and late July/August, allowing the wildflowers to self-seed, and ground nesting curlews to raise their young. One day I counted eight curlews flying overhead at the same time! After we cut the hay, we put the cattle on the meadows to aftermath graze during September and then shut them off again to rest over winter. 

In 2025 we also made our first SFI application (Sustainable Farming Incentive provided by The Department for Food and Rural Affairs). This gives us the financial backing to conserve the traditional hay meadows as they are managed as a priority species habitat, plus we’re eligible for supplements for hay making and cattle grazing.

Our farming future

My aspiration is to move to local breed cattle and this summer we bought a Bakewell Blue Albion bull, another local rare breed on the RBST watchlist. I plan to buy a couple of pedigree heifers to assist with restoring the landscape to its traditional heritage and preserving this rare breed. Like our sheep, having native breed cattle means they are hardy and docile. Anything else wouldn’t work here with our low input approach to grassland management and conservation farming. They do very well on upland grazing. 

I’m excited to be involved in the Morridge Hill Country project because it provides us with a long-term opportunity to farm in a nature-friendly way. Finding a sustainable approach to conservation and food production is vital for our country’s future. We’re really excited to be involved in this collaborative approach to landscape recovery on a large scale. 

To have a future in farming for the next 20 years is all my dreams come true. Before we moved to Knowle Farm we lived on short term tenancies and grazing licences, which was very stressful (and risky). We are first generation tenant farmers - I’ve no right to even be here, with no family farm, and yet here we are, helping to care for the National Park’s hay meadows and grassland. My children go to sleep listening to birds, cows, and tractors working in the fields. They know where their food comes from and they’re learning how to raise and grow it with care. 

For now, Carl has kept his corporate job for financial stability, fitting farming jobs around his office hours. In time, we’d love for the farm to earn enough for him to farm full time. Our vision is to build a viable farm with local and native breeds. In 2026 we plan to open the farm for educational and therapeutic access and open a countryside classroom. We’d love to help local school children better understand farming, nature and where our food comes from. Our ultimate long-term dream is to buy a small farm of our own and create opportunities for our children’s children to farm. 

*Sarah’s children’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.