Leasefield Farm, set in the beautiful countryside of Ruby Country close to Halwill Junction and with stunning views towards Dartmoor, was set up in November by Elaine Freestone, her partner Rupert Wetherall and brother Don Osborne. Elaine and Rupert purchased Leasefield Farm in 2009 with the intention of setting up a beef unit. After being approached by Devon Wildlife Trust the couple decided to develop their farm with the environment at its heart. Although there have been a few minor setbacks, a Higher Level Stewardship agreement drawn up by Stuart Coleman of Devon Wildlife Trusts “Working Wetlands Project” will soon be signed. This signifies the nature conservation importance of Leasefield Farm , including Hollow Moor and Four Shilling Moor, both important areas of culm grassland, other areas of wet grassland, woodland and streams.
Elaine who has an interest in horses and who built a set of stables for her own horses heard about “Ride the Ruby Country” and decided that the development of an equestrian and sustainable tourism business was what was needed to bring vital income to the farm, complimenting the HLS agreement. Elaine approached “Ride the Ruby Country” with an idea about not only developing horse bed and breakfast using the stables and high quality bed and breakfast room at Leasefield Farm, but also developing a yurt camp, where people could come and escape the stresses and strains of everyday life, with or without a horse.
It was clear from the start that Elaine knew what she wanted for Leasefield Holidays but was a little uncertain about how to make the dream reality. With a little help from “Ride the Ruby Country” marketing has become less of a muddle as a lot of the marketing for project partners such as Leasefield Holidays is being undertaken by “Ride the Ruby Country”. This aspect helps new and existing businesses reduce their financial burdens and allows them extra time to focus on making a go of their business.
“Ride the Ruby Country” put Elaine in contact with Business Information Point (BIP) and their business advice has been invaluable. The project also put Elaine in touch with Freebird Media, a member of the Ruby Country Business Partnership and they worked closely together to produce the website for Leasefield Holidays.
Although still very early days, Elaine’s vision is clear and she has come up with a highly desirable product in a very short space of time. Leasefield Holidays is now ready to take bookings for equestrian and yurt based holidays or a combination of the two.