“Wakelyns offers an incredible resource that extends learning far beyond its local reach and also transcends industry boundaries. Whilst the work carried out at Wakelyns speaks deeply to the agricultural community, those of us working in horticulture in garden settings (including growing food at garden scale) have really benefitted from visits to Wakelyns and been inspired by the overall agroecological approach which can directly transfer to any form of gardening. It is this broad reaching value of Wakelyns that makes it worthy of support for future learning and inspiration towards a more harmonious and nature friendly way of working with our land, whatever the context. I couldn’t be more supportive of this campaign.”

For more than 30 years Wakelyns has been an inspirational model for agricultural change in the UK. Demonstrating through research and practice that a diverse, complex farmed landscape is not only ecologically, economically and socially viable right now, but the only approach that offers future hope in the face of climate chaos and collapsing biodiversity. I feel fortunate to have watched, been involved with, and to have been shaped by that work for 25 years. I could name dozens of farms changed for the better through a visit to Wakelyns, and I know hundreds more have been transformed by the research and advocacy Wakelyns has supported and inspired. I'm really excited about this next phase, where Wakelyns' ownership moves to the community it has built to continue its pioneering and critically important work.

"Wakelyns is ... showing in defiance of convention that trees, arable, horticulture, livestock, wildlife, and people can co-exist and interact to the advantage of them all.”

"Wakelyns Agroforestry is a vital example of the kind of farming we need to secure our future in the UK.”

"Having been involved in agroforestry research for over 15 years in both the UK and Europe-wide, I can't over-emphasize the importance of Wakelyns as a mature and unique silvoarable system that demonstrates a number of practices ranging from alley cropping short rotation coppice to timber and fruit production. Such sites are incredibly rare across Europe. Over the years, I have collected data from Wakelyns on everything from tree yields, energy use and production, economics, crop and ley growth, pests and diseases, through to biodiversity both below and above ground. While other UK long term agroforestry research sites have been sold off or removed, it is so important that Wakelyns continues as a functioning farm, not only providing a research site but also an inspiration to students and researchers".

“The Organic Research Centre has worked closely with Wakelyns since the 1990s, and over that time our businesses have formed a strong mutual bond. Our work celebrates and builds upon the work of Martin and Ann Wolfe in researching how to achieve sustainable and resilient agriculture and spans everything from the role of agroforestry systems in enhancing biodiversity through to the evolution of the YQ ORC Wakelyns population wheat. The importance of Wakelyns as the leading agroforestry research site in the UK cannot be underestimated and we are delighted to offer our support to the Wakelyns Charitable Community Benefit Society in order to secure its future and the vital role that it plays in British agriculture”.

"The science and farming research at Wakelyns has been pivotal in helping shape future farming system thinking”

"Wakelyns has been an invaluable source of inspiration and knowledge to practitioners, academics and policymakers.”

“I've grown to love Wakelyns over recent years, partly because I have come to realise its importance in demonstrating an unfamiliar farming regime, partly because all involved seem such lovely people but also because I can wake there, in summer, and hear the now rare sound of singing Turtle Doves. For all these reasons and more I support this campaign.”

As a grain nerd, Wakelyns is synonymous with Martin Wolfe & YQ wheat - both ambassadors for diversity, pioneers and bridge-builders in equal measure, radical interrogators of our incumbent food system. How many journeys started here, or passed through here? What solidarity was built on shared memories of this place? I've come to realise that systems change is a messy, nonlinear, even fragile business. So retaining Wakelyns as a kind of anchor, a critical piece of our movement's infrastructure, is surely an essential step towards an agroecological future.

"Wakelyns is a magical oasis filled with life...a tried and tested alternative to contemporary industrial agriculture”

“Wakelyns innovations in population grains and agroforestry - combining tree crops with grain crops and market gardening - are vital for the future of English farming… It is wonderful to think that, through this share offering, Wakelyns should soon be owned by the community and will be able to be run forever for the benefit of that community and of nature, through varied farming methods and flourishing biodiversity”

"Martin Wolfe was a pioneer of sustainable agriculture and a proponent of sustainable methods of farming well before it became mainstream.  One of his major ideas was to use genetic diversity as a tool for controlling diseases in crops without the need for environmentally damaging sprays. Much valuable research was then, over the years, performed at Wakelyns.The role of Wakelyns in promoting and maintaining the YQ population and Martin's ideas of sustainable agriculture is essential for the future adaptation of farming methods to low input agriculture and buffering populations against climate change.”