Marcus Waley-Cohen, eldest son of the racehorse owner, Robert, and brother of the Gold Cup-winning amateur jockey, Sam, is developing a line of bird food sourced from wildlife-friendly farms. Birds and Bees (0844 577 2828; www.birdsandbees.co.uk) has been inspired by the success of an initiative started 10 years ago to create wildlife-friendly corridors across the family’s 2,000-acre farm on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border.
‘Farming has become so intensive and urban gardens are constantly covered in decking or paving that there’s increasingly less space for birds, bees and butterflies to gather food and live,’ explains Mr Waley-Cohen, who has worked with farm manager Rob Allan, Farmers Weekly Countryside Farmer of the Year in 2012.
‘We thought that seeds and mixes produced on farms that share our concerns might persuade people to do their bit to generate a space for nature in their own gardens, whatever the size.’ Mr Waley-Cohen hopes to develop a line of pollen-rich wild flower seeds, such as lavender, for the spring.
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