A woman running Bristol’s last remaining commercial farm has announced she will have to leave later this year and give the farm up as part of a settlement deal following a family dispute.
Catherine Withers has lived and worked at Yew Tree Farm for more than 30 years, transforming it into a wildlife haven that was designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest two years ago.
But the farm, which is owned by her family and is located on Bedminster Down inside the very edge of the city boundary, has been the subject of a series of different battles and controversies over the past few years, with a triple threat for Catherine Withers to deal with from all sides.
Housing developers have been trying to get permission to build around 200 new homes on and between the farmhouse and the main A38 road, which is owned by another landowner but had been rented as part of Yew Tree Farm. On the north side, council-owned land that also formed part of the farm, has recently been the subject of attempts by Bristol City Council to extend the South Bristol Crematorium onto it.
And at the same time, a family dispute over control of the farm itself has been building up and appears to have now been decided through a mediation process. Catherine Withers said she has done everything in her power to try and reach a deal that would allow her to remain living and working at Yew Tree Farm but such an agreement could not be reached.
As well as working for at least two decades to enhance the environment of the farm for wildlife, Catherine also turned Yew Tree Farm into something of a visitor attraction, with a farm shop and regular tours of the ancient hedgerows and important grassland habitat as Bedminster Down slopes down to Colliters Brook at the farm’s south-western border.
Yew Tree Farm regularly featured in national media, with the likes of Countryfile telling the story of her battle for survival. She has been joined over the years by a group of supporters – from the Bristol Tree Forum and Avon Wildlife Trust to individual campaigners – calling for more help and support from Bristol City Council.
A new film, called: ‘One Last Farm, One Last Chance’ about Yew Tree Farm, was premiered at the Bristol Megascreen on Friday evening, February 28, and in a panel discussion afterwards, Catherine Withers broke the news that she had reached a settlement with her family that would see her have to leave the farm this year – at some point between May and the end of August.
“I’m shattered and I’m heartbroken,” she told Bristol Live. “I’m going to have to unpick a whole lifetime of work and memories from this place, and I’m absolutely and completely devastated for the wildlife that call Yew Tree Farm home, because I won’t be able to protect it anymore.
“In the end, I wasn’t able to carry on, and I don’t know what will happen to the farm in the future but I’m optimistic that perhaps somebody might buy the land who will protect the precious ecosystem,” she added. “I want to say a huge thank you to our customers, who have recognised that local food grown in harmony with nature is very special and given us so much support over recent years. I am determined to continue farming and producing food in Bristol and am looking for suitable home to relocate all of the animals,” she added.