About Us

We have been involved with farming, music, art & crafts and the countryside all our married life. We have been lucky enough to have lived in some of the most beautiful places in Britain but for the last 24 years we have lived in the most beautiful - the South Shropshire Hills in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Over the years we have travelled on a journey through many hobbies and interests - smallholding, cheesemaking, wine making, brewing, folk music, art, animal husbandry (having bred pedigree Hereford Cattle and Shropshire Sheep for many years together with over 20 years experience with dairy goats). We also presented a radio programme for over 11 years - “Harts of Folk” on Radio Maldwyn - www.magic756.com.
But now is the time to fit this jigsaw together on our smallholding. Each little piece of our lives will be slotted into the ‘Gleanings’ experience from courses in folk music and art through to wildlife, farming and rural crafts.

About John

Known as the 6’5” gentle giant with an over enthusiastic mind! “Having been brought up in the countryside I have enjoyed working with farmers, farm animals and nature. My interests have always had a link to the countryside having helped my father on the farm in my childhood to specialising in the footcare of cattle since moving to Shropshire. Yvonne introduced me to folk music more than 30 years ago and now that has linked everything together with my love of rural history, photography and crafts.”

About Yvonne

“Although I was not brought up on a farm I have always had the love for farming, the countryside and nature. I rolled these together by combining art, smallholding, horticulture and folk music. Although trained in the commercial world I have tried desperately to avoid it having worked with John on farms as calf rearer, tractor driver, slave and more recently running a horticultural micro nursery specialising in edible plants - vegetables, fruit bushes and trees as well as herbs.”