Hello, we are Rachel and Matt Cracknell. We moved to The Goytree in September 2021 with our two daughters, having searched for our dream farm for over 6 years. We’ve inherited this magical space from Bryony and Tim Longden who poured their heart and soul into the land. And now its our turn.

Our Vision:

Our dream has always been to create an inspiring place where people and wildlife thrive in a productive and enchanting setting. We feel so lucky to have found The Goytree, as we feel it can provide just that. Now we are here, we aspire to create a centre of excellence for sustainable agriculture which will help address the climate and ecological crises and offer a valuable resource for local communities and beyond. We want to create a thriving space which puts local food, conservation and connection to nature at its heart.

Our vision is to champion regenerative agroecology, we will restore the organic status of the farm and the majority of the land will be used for nature positive food production which will supply both our onsite glamping business and local community. The remaining land will be enhanced for nature and eco-tourism through continued tree planting, maintaining wildflower meadows and rewilding. In future years we hope to move towards agri-educational and wellness retreats.  We hope that everyone who visits The Goytree will participate in a journey of exploration and have a unique experience which immerses them in nature, revives wellness, enhances understanding of ecological systems and inspires action on the climate and ecological emergency.

About us:

Matt grew up in Africa, providing a key inspiration for his career where he focused on using agriculture to enable community development to improve natural resource management and create social impact. Often working with disadvantaged communities, he created strategic networks as a means to engage communities to take action to create sustainable livelihoods that regenerate the environment. Before moving to The Goytree, Matt set up and managed Grow Wilder for Avon Wildlife Trust for 8 years. This 6 acre farm is a business incubator hub and internationally recognised centre of excellence demonstrating the value of nature in productive settings. Grow Wilder champions agroecology, hosts 8 independent businesses, a wildflower nursery and runs social impact programs supporting education, health and community engagement.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in climate change and development, Rachel currently works as climate and environment lead for the Ethical Tea Partnership, with a focus on improving the lives of farmers in tea producing countries. When she’s not working on project delivery across Africa and Asia, she can be found getting stuck in on the farm. Outside of work, Rachel is passionate about food, and loves to cater at events providing creative, seasonal dining for guests that celebrates the seasons. She was also one of the founding members of Street Goat, a goat milking cooperative in Bristol and looks forward to setting up a milking project at The Goytree.