The heat has once again provided us with a few challenges last week, not least trying to harvest the berries to freeze or sell. If anyone makes jam and are after some berries, please do let us know.

​On Friday night, we had a very successful performance of A Midsummers Night’s Dream by The HandleBards played to a ​packed audience outdoors of 140. The weather was amazing and the actors incredibly funny so a good night was had by all.

Christine is getting ready for her Skin Deep natural beauty products workshop this coming Sunday. We have just a couple of spaces left if anyone wants to join her on what will be a great morning.

New figures out this week show a deeply worrying trend of the diminishing numbers of hedgehogs that are around. In the RSPB’s annual garden watch survey, hedgehogs were spotted in fewer gardens for the third consecutive year. One quarter of the 139,000 gardens surveyed did not record a single sighting in the whole of 2016. One way gardeners could help in a simple way is to cut holes in fences to aid freedom of movement. The RSPCA urges also for people to check before starting to strim or using garden forks, putting sports netting away when not in use and to cover drains. These simple measures could make a difference to help protect the welfare of these iconic creatures.

Yesterday, I managed to participate in the Pretty Mudder 5kms challenge and Christine ran today in the Race for Life of the same distance, both of which were to raise funds for Cancer Research. A big thanks to all of you who sponsored us for what is a great charity.

I am dashing now to get this email finished as I am off to LLandovery in Carmathenshire for the Harmony in Food and Farming Conference run by the Sustainable Food Trust. Prince Charles is making the keynote speech and there are some great speakers including Ellen MaCarthur, the inspirational yachtswoman who runs her own Foundation. I will report back next week!