Family-run farm impresses Flintshire locals with its upgraded offering

Bethan Lewis-Roberts is continuing her family’s legacy at Tyddyn Y Foel Farm by diversifying produce after gaining key support from Horticulture Wales and increasing her engagement with the local community.

Having grown up on the farm owned by her parents, Bethan formed a partnership with them in 2024 and contacted the programme that has been specially designed to empower Welsh SMEs to develop products for home and export.

Thanks to Wrexham University-led Horticulture Wales, the Mold-based 22-acre plot successfully introduced commercial pumpkin and flower patches – both high value, direct-to-consumer crops ideal for the small business.

After visiting the site to assess the feasibility of bringing her ideas to life, the scheme helped cultivate a one-acre area for the fruit and suggested inviting Ysgol Y Foel County Primary School in nearby Cilcain to contribute to the farm’s latest addition. 

Following the project’s advice, Bethan re-connected with her former school and saw approximately 40 children and staff plant pumpkin seeds on the new patch, known as Moel Famau Pumpkins, with biodegradable pots, soil, and seeds provided by Horticulture Wales.

Similarly, Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn School, Denbigh, arranged a visit allowing its autistic students to engage with nature in a relaxed, safe environment.

The newly developed pumpkin patch also proved popular amongst residents and local community group Cilcain Young Farmers Club, as they were granted access via free picking events held across October.

Bethan said: “The overwhelming support and encouragement from the scheme has been fantastic and given me the confidence to try out new ideas with the business.

“From engaging with nearby schools, to digging soil and providing seeds, I have received lots of practical assistance to create and raise awareness of the developments and to overcome any challenges that I faced.

“Overall, I think implementing the changes without guidance would have been a lot more daunting, so I am very grateful for all the help I’ve had over the past eight months.

“I would also like to thank the local community for all of their support, and I look forward to providing even more opportunities for engagement this year.”

Alongside growing fruit, Horticulture Wales has enabled Bethan to transform other areas of the farm through the creation of a pick-your-own flowers patch, and the donation of six trees to re-establish an onsite orchard.

Bethan, who has a degree in microbiology and zoology from Aberystwyth University, said: “Although I have some prior experience working with plants, the team suggested cultivating a variety of herbs and other flora that I hadn’t considered before.

“Thanks to visiting the scheme’s hydroponics systems at Wrexham University’s Northop campus, I was supplied with a selection of trial crops to sow, alongside the soilless growing equipment that has integrated lighting which will allow me to grow the pumpkins and flowers earlier in the future.” 

Horticulture Wales project manager and Wrexham University’s knowledge transfer and innovation partner Jane Edwards said: “When Bethan first approached us in April, she had lots of ideas to diversify the farm but was unsure where to begin. 

“Our purpose is to empower Welsh growers, horticulturalists, and producers to develop and promote their produce, so seeing Bethan’s progress to increase the profitability of the farm and what it can offer the local community has been very rewarding.” 

Councillor Chris Dolphin, Flintshire County Council cabinet member for economy, environment, and climate, said: “It’s wonderful to see how Horticulture Wales has addressed the needs of growers across Flintshire by providing tailored support to help them achieve their aims.

“Raising the profile of what our county’s farms can offer is a key part of improving access to local products and I look forward to seeing the positive impact the project has had within the region.”

Horticulture Wales received £135,451 from Flintshire’s allocation of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).