South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape) was one of the first groups in the UK to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) All Our Stories grant.

What it was about

This exciting project “Living off the Land – the changing face of farming in South Devon” led by the South Devon National Landscape team was awarded £9,700 to examine farming in South Devon, focusing on how things have changed over the past 50 years, changes in farm size and in traditional family farms.

All Our Stories was a small grant programme launched in 2012 in support of BBC Two’s The Great British Story. It was designed as an opportunity for everyone to get involved in their heritage. With HLF funding and support community groups carried out activities that helped people explore, share and celebrate their local heritage.

The popular series presented by historian Michael Wood, and supported by a programme of BBC learning activities and events, got thousands of us asking questions about our history and inspired us to look at history in a different way through the eyes of ordinary people.

What we said we would do…

“South Devon National Landscape will record how the pattern of farming has changed in our area. 84% of the National Landscape is farmed, but as it has become more difficult to maintain a profitable mixed farm in the area, a number of farms have been broken up with parcels of land and traditional barns sold off and there is an aging farming population with few new starters.

South Devon National Landscape are delighted to have been awarded this grant. Many families have been farming for generations on the same farm. We will record how things have changed and how this is affecting rural communities and landscape. We look forward to telling you about our findings and sharing the heritage and history with you.”

And what we did…

Have a look at our fantastic interactive web book to find out what we did and who we worked with. You can listen to the farmers’ stories, browse old photographs and find out more about what it means to live, grow up and work on a farm in South Devon.