A bonanza of crafts, workshops and activities is on offer in the latest fund-raising event for the campaign to protect organic farmland near Oswestry through community involvement.

The Babbinswood Bonanza takes place on September 26 at Babbinswood Farm from 10 am until 3pm where a community benefit society is heading a campaign to buy organic farmland and get the community involved in its future use.

The society’s recent annual meeting heard that Babbinswood Farm Community Benefit Society was on the verge of completing the purchase of its first parcel of community-owned land at the farm near Whittington.

Babbinswood Farm was put on the open market at the end of 2025 and so far the society has raised £283,000 to buy 18 acres on the north side of the farm known as Brick Kiln and Gravenall.

The society has attracted almost 750 shareholders over the last two years and is continuing its fund raising with the aim of buying up more land at the farm to both protect its organic status and build a community hub through community co-ownership.

Patricia Gibbons of the CBS, said that the society hoped the sale would be completed very shortly.

“It will be a huge step forward for us and a great tribute to the people who have worked so hard and supported us in getting to this point,” she said

“We organised a members’ survey in June which overwhelmingly showed that the membership wanted to keep the land farmed organically with space for community involvement. This confirms that the Board is on the right track. We are launching our latest business plan soon which will set out our full plans for the newly acquired land,” Patricia said.

The next fundraising events will be ‘Beyond Words’ with Dawn Stone on September 12 exploring connections with your animal companions followed by the Babbinswood Bonanza on September 26.

The bonanza event will include a range of crafts, a clay workshop, wildlife tracking and nature connection, shamanic drumming and many other stalls and activities.  More details can be found on the society’s new website at Home – Babbinswood Farm CBS

Community shares are still available through the society’s website or at the farm’s shop. The society also accepts donations.

Fundraising for the society has included popular herbal workshops by Louise Idoux of Oswestry Herbarium as well as a bat walk and moth identification evening which proved popular with both adults and children.

Young nature enthusiasts at the recent bat walk and moth identification evening.