West Shepton Food Forest

Food forests are 'somewhere between an allotment and an orchard' – a way for people to access organic and sustainably farmed food. West Shepton Food Forest is a one-acre site situated off the Old Wells Road, near the new crematorium. Originally intended to be a full seven-layer community food forest, the Food Forest Project decided to leave the space as three layers only due to the precious flora and grasses growing in the space. It is now a wonderful wild spot with benches for a weary traveller to rest for a while, and eat the free fruits, nuts, currants, berries and water herbs, whilst connecting with the wildlife and recharging. The local community dug out a wild pond for the plot, too. Since WWII, we’ve lost up to 70% of our wild ponds and all the biodiversity that comes with them.