#Harvest2026 - Celebrating a hard fought harvest & a community-supported farm
Last week, we gathered together to celebrate the harvest, the people who make this place what it is, and the shared work of caring for the land for our big annual Harvest festival here at Lord Park farm. Once again, the day was beautifully captured by our long time collaborator and friend, Jason Elberts, of A Great Alternative - we’ve compiled some of the memories into this photo essay to remind us all of what a special day it was.
There is something special about coming together at harvest time. After a long and demanding growing season, when so much of our time is spent tending crops, watching the weather and working with the rhythms of the land, it feels important to pause. To gather, to share food, to celebrate what has grown, and to remember that farming is never something we do alone.
Last Saturday, over 100 people joined us here at Lords Park farm for our annual Harvest Celebration. It was a beautiful afternoon of workshops, farm tours, flowers, children's activities and ceremony, followed by an evening of food, music and fire. A celebration of the land, the harvest and the community that gathers around it.
A Day of Harvest & Gathering
The afternoon brought together a wonderful mix of activities, inviting people to explore the farm and connect with the different parts of our work. There were workshops, a farm tour, pick-your-own flowers and activities for children, offering different ways to spend time on the land and enjoy the changing season.
Our Harvest Ceremony gave us a chance to pause and reflect on the year. Harvest is a time of abundance, but it is also a time to recognise the work, care and uncertainty that sits behind the food we grow. This year, after the challenges of drought and heat, that moment of gathering felt especially meaningful. Across the summer, our growers had worked tirelessly to keep crops alive, irrigating constantly through conditions that would once have been considered exceptional. The celebration offered a chance to acknowledge that effort, and to be grateful for the harvest we have been able to bring in.
There was a real sense of warmth and togetherness throughout the day. So many people contributed to making it happen, from our staff team and volunteers to the wonderful people who brought their skills, creativity and energy to the celebration. Events like this take a huge collective effort, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring the day to life.
Beetroot and aubergines grown here at Lords Park chargrilled over the flames by the Cegin Hedyn team.
Chef Deri Reed and the Cegin Hedyn team cooking up storm for our Harvest feast.
A farm tour, hearing about what’s been happening on the farm and what it looks like 3 years on….
Pick your own flower bunch, with our flower grower Chloe
Caseg Fedi
One of the loveliest moments of our Harvest Celebration was making our own Caseg Fedi – the Harvest Mare, a Welsh tradition rooted in the bringing in of the final sheaf of corn. Traditionally, the last sheaf would be cut and shaped into a figure, often accompanied by ceremony, rivalry and celebration, before being carried home and kept as a symbol of the harvest.
We had our own little adventure this year, as veg driver Pete tried to to carry our Caseg Fedi into the barn without getting soaked by the water wielding tricksters in the tunnel of cheering onlookers, before climbing up to hang her in the rafters, where she'll keep watch over the farm through the coming months. A small, slightly soggy nod to the generations of Welsh farming communities who marked the end of harvest with gratitude, good humour and a celebration of the land's abundance.
Caseg Fedi
Hanging the Caseg Fedi up in the barn to bring good luck to the space and a good harvest next year.
Harvest Performance
One of the most magical moments of our Harvest Celebration was the performance by our Little Stewards, who had been practising their retelling of Blodeuwedd for weeks. Rooted in the ancient Welsh stories of the Mabinogi, Blodeuwedd is the woman created from flowers by Math and Gwydion for Lleu Llaw Gyffes, her story unfolding through magic, love, betrayal and transformation. In the tale's final act, she is turned into an owl.
Our Little Stewards sessions are a chance for children to build a relationship with the land through play, storytelling, practical activities and exploration, nurturing curiosity, confidence and a sense of belonging in the natural world. Seeing them bring this powerful Welsh story to life, after weeks of preparation, was a wonderful reminder of the importance of passing on our stories and traditions. With the farm as their stage and the community gathered around them, they shared something that reaches back through centuries of Welsh storytelling, bringing the magic of Blodeuwedd into the present day.
The Little Stewards perform the story of Blodeuwedd that they had been working on for weeks.
Food, Fire & Music
As the afternoon moved into evening, we gathered to enjoy food from the flames, prepared by Cegin Hedyn. Sharing food has always been central to harvest celebrations, and there was something particularly lovely about sitting down together after a day spent exploring, learning and celebrating.
The evening continued with a lively Twmpath in the yard, accompanied by the tunes of the Rough Edge Ceilidh band. Music, dancing and the sound of people enjoying themselves brought a wonderful energy to the farm, as we celebrated together into the evening.
The day came to a spectacular close with fire performances from the Glyn Abbey fire spinners. Their awe-inspiring performances provided a memorable ending to a day that had already brought so much joy, connection and celebration.
Jugglers spontaneously entertaining the crowds as they ate…
Village square festival vibes as everyone enjoyed their dinner :)
TWMPATH!!
The Glyn Abbey fire spinners bring the night to a close with an awe-inspiring fire show….
A Letter to a Farmer
One of the things we wanted to explore through this year's celebration was the relationship between people and the farmers and growers who feed us. In a year marked by drought, heat and difficult growing conditions, we invited those attending to write a Letter to a Farmer — addressed either to the growers here at Lords Park farm or to farmers more widely.
The idea came from our Volunteer Coordinator, Lottie, who suggested gathering people's reflections and experiences through writing. The letters that came from it were incredibly heartening to read, offering words of gratitude, encouragement and hope for the future.
One attendee wrote:
“When I arrived here I started to understand. It’s the love and the care, the community and diversity, it’s the wild and the grown, it’s the weeds and the compost. It’s tying your life and destiny to it. Nature and nurture.”
“Thankyou for showing me, and the world, what’s possible. Thankyou for being a part in the change that gives me hope for the future of my future children.”
“Thankyou for your work and your care, for being a part of nature, and reminding people they are too.”
These words capture so much of what we hope to nurture here at Glasbren. A connection to the land that goes beyond the food we grow, encompassing care, community, diversity and a sense of shared responsibility for the future. Farming is both practical and deeply relational: it asks us to work with nature, to pay attention, and to recognise that our own lives are woven into the wider living world.
Thank You for Being Part of It
We want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came along, helped out, contributed their time and energy, or simply shared in the joy of the day. From the people working behind the scenes to those who joined us for the afternoon, each person helped make this year's Harvest Celebration what it was.
After such a challenging growing season, it was a real gift to gather together and celebrate the work of the land, the dedication of our growers and the strength of the community around us. We are grateful to be able to share these moments with you, and to keep creating opportunities for people to connect with the farm, with one another and with the seasons.
Our Harvest Celebration is now a much-loved part of the annual calendar, and we look forward to welcoming you back next year.
