Briggle Farm case study
Nestled in the heart of the Eden Valley, Briggle Farm invites you to enter a world where the wild meets the wonderful. Here, amid the rolling meadows, you can wander through vibrant flowers, handpick your own blooms, and carry home a piece of Cumbria’s beauty.
We talked to Joseph Kidd who, alongside his family, will open their farm at weekends 10am-6pm from Saturday 2nd August allowing visitors to explore their vibrant wildflower meadows, hand pick their own wildflowers and enjoy local food and drink, and the importance of online connectivity in supporting what they do.
Joseph told us “the philosophy of Briggle Farm revolves around simplicity, sustainability, and connection to nature. We want people to embrace the beauty of
the natural world and celebrate the changing seasons, where every bloom and every breeze tells a story of the land. We truly believe that slowing down and reconnecting with nature can bring peace, joy, and a deep sense of belonging. Through the experiences on offer at Briggle Farm we hope that people can rediscover life's simple pleasures”.
Joseph went on “this is our first year of opening up our farm to the public which issomething we are really excited about. Having a good online connection has definitely supported us in getting this project off the ground; we have built a website,set up social media pages and opened up an online means of communication, urging those interested in what we are doing to sign up to online marketing updates and information via email”.
“Alongside the opening of Briggle Farm’s wildlife meadows, we also sell lamb boxes fresh from the farm to local customers. One of our local customers is in fact providing food as part of the wildlife meadow experience and we also have a local coffee expert on hand offering hot and cold beverages. This event is all about the local land, localproduce and supporting local businesses from within our local community”.
“I remember a time when online connectivity was not available at Briggle Farm, now we can access up to gigabit broadband speeds. This has been a real game changer in terms of what we can access, what we can offer and the benefits and efficiencies it has driven within all aspects of our business both public facing and behind the scenes”.
“The outdoor mobile connectivity in our area is pretty good which will be a realadvantage at ourwildlife meadow event, allowing for the use of mobile devices to provide real time information via our social media pages, answer any questionsreceived in a timely manner, support the use of handheld payment devices on the field and hopefully lead to visitors sharing their experience with us on their own social media pages to spread the word of what we are doing here”.
“In support of our farming business, the need to be ‘online’ has progressively grown over the last few years. It is used to report cattle movements via the British Cattle Movement System, completing online tax returns, and using online banking and BACS to manage finances. Our gigabit service enables us to do all this and more from our home base.”
Joseph would encourage other agricultural businesses to look into the online connectivity options available to them “there is perhaps a misconception out there that farms have been left behind in terms of online connectivity and that certainly isn’t the case.Connectivity options, whatever they may be, are available and can be of huge benefit to our businesses”.
So whether you are looking for a peaceful day out or a fun family adventure this summer, there is something for everyone to enjoy at Briggle Farm (Langwathby,Penrith Cumbria, CA10 1NZ). Find out more by visiting their website and social media pages Facebook and Instagram.
Find out more about all aspects of online connectivity in your area by visiting the Connecting Cumbria website www.connectingcumbria.org.uk