- Walden Countryside is the trading name of the Organic-Countryside Community Interest Company. This is a not-for-profit company owned by it shareholders who have provided the capital funds for the purchase of Noakes Grove nature reserve. The shareholders receive no dividends or other income from the company. The company owns Noakes Grove nature reserve and has leasehold use of other land, all of which is used for traditional, pesticide-free, farming, wildlife conservation and public access. We aim to achieve a trading surplus to be used to benefit the environment that the company was established to promote. The full details of the legal constitution are given in our Memorandum & Articles of Association (download a printer friendly pdf file: (700Kb))
- What is a Community Interest Company? A CIC
is a limited company that can trade in the same way as any normal
company but its major purpose is to benefit the community that
it serves. - details of how CICs work are on the Companies House CIC regulator's web site
- What we do. We exist to conserve and increase the variety of wildlife on our nature reserve small-holdings. We also aim to promote nature conservation and public access to the countryside in the area around Saffron Walden.
- Unlike many nature reserves, all our land produces food and this is sold locally. We also encourage visitors to enjoy our reserves, this can be as unaccompanied visits at any time and without charge, or at organised Open Days and events for groups of children.
Here's our statement of the community we aim to serve and what we try to do (as approved by the CIC regulator):
- Enabling members of the public to become directly involved
in organic farming, as small scale investors in land to be converted
to organic agriculture and/or participate in organic farming
and the the formation of community assisted agriculture groups
- Increasing the numbers and variety of farmland wildlife by
facilitating the wider adoption of organic agriculture
- Encouraging the production of more organic food and its consumption
within the region of production
- Aiding young (suitably qualified) people wishing to become
organic farmers but unable to buy their own farm, to find suitable
land available for rental
- NB Although all our farming is done to organic standarsd we are not registered organic producers and so cannot call our produce "organic".
Who are Walden Countryside's directors? These are the details of our present directors. The directors are elected (or re-elected) at the Annual General Meeting by the shareholders of the company.
| David Corke (executive director and company secretary) |
David lectured in Wildlife Conservation & Ecology at the University of East London where he was responsible for developing and running the first UK degree course in wildlife conservation.
Visit David's personal website |
Susie Boatman
(deputy company secretary and data protection officer) |
Susie gained her degree in mathematical engineering at Loughborough University. During her undergraduate course she spent a year working with the Essex Wildlife Trust investigating the potential for organic farming as a tool for wildlife conservation. Today she works as a statistician in the Medical Research Council team of Cambridge University.
Visit Susie's Facebook page |
| David Buckley |
David sheared his first sheep in the Orkneys in 1965 (non-electric) and has owned a succession of border collies. A semi-retired professional musician, he is trying to teach the old ladies at King's Field to sing. |
| Elaine Corke |
Elaine was educated at the New University of Ulster and Durham University. She tends the Noakes Grove sheep in between sessions at her computer as a copy editor.
Visit Elaine's Facebook page |
| Emma Horton |
Emma lives round the corner from Noakes Grove and works as a freelance editor. She finds visiting the sheep a great antidote to sitting all day at a desk.
Visit Emma's Facebook page |
| Nikki Phillips |
Nikki is a relaxation therapist, some of whose classes are run at Noakes Grove.
Visit Nikki's Facebook page or her website |
Peter Savic |
Peter retired as the Sales Director at Radleys in Saffron Walden after a long career in scientific sales in the chemical and biotech industries.
He is the singer with local bands, The Walden Buskers and Sharp Set. Loves nothing more than being in the countryside with the sheep at Noakes Grove.
Visit Peter's Facebook page |
Janice Wrigley
|
Janice worked in educational publishing for over 40 years. Now she is retired, she is able to follow her lifelong interest in wildlife.
Visit Jan's Facebook page |
Current legal documents
Our contact details: Organic Countryside Community Interest Company
Company registered in England No 06794848 VAT No: 947 3003 31
Registered address: 23 Tye Green, Wimbish, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2XE
Phone: 01 799 599 643
Email: info@organic-countryside.co.uk
Insurance cover
Our current insurance policies:
Public liability and personal accident with Zurich Policy Number - XAO1220638283 (Renewal date 12 August 2021)
Tractor (Renewal date 10 October 2021)
Risk assessment (for public access and volunteer worker activities)
- Version October 2020
- There are other risk assessments for specific public group events and children's organised activities which are written or updated for each new event
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