Andy - the farmer
Andy Bragg is the farmer here, following in the footsteps of the last three generations of the Bragg family. Andy's great grandfather rented neighbouring Whiddon Farm in 1896 and his grandfather took on the tenancy of West Town Farm in 1949. Andy's father Roy then followed in 1953 and then Andy himself in 1983 - all tenants of the Church Commissioners who are the landowners. Andy decided to farm organically in 1992, first producing organic milk and now organic beef. He is a keen environmentalist and loves to engage the public in learning more about where their food comes from.
Jenny - educational visits
Jenny works part-time at the farm helping with education, alongside her other job at South West Water. She is Andy’s partner and has lived with him at the farm since 2007. Jenny has been a Geography and Environmental Science teacher, as well as a fieldwork tutor at Slapton Ley Field Centre. She has mostly worked with A Level and GCSE students so she is the main contact for students of this age-group who want to use the farm for fieldwork and other activities. Jenny is interested in ecology and sustainability so she enjoys being on an organic farm.
Paul - the farm apprentice
As the farm apprentice Paul works with Andy and Mike, you might see him driving the tractor or quad bike around the farm on his way to feed the animals. Paul enjoys problem solving and fixing things around the farm, this keeps him pretty busy but if you see anything that looks like it might be broken on the farm let him know! Particularly if it's a big machine, as he's a bit of a grease monkey, he even makes his own biofuels from used cooking oil which he collects from local restaurants. Paul's favourite thing about the farm are the many quiet secret spots under the trees where a person can go and sit away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday.
Jo - educational visits
Jo Cotter has worked part time running educational visits and events at West Town Farm for the last 7 years. West Town Farm is a very special place to her because it's such a wonderful community of people all of whom are as passionate as she is about providing access to, and education about, farming and the countryside. Jo is a co founder of organicARTS which is based at West Town Farm and raises awareness of rural issues, farming and the environment through creative activities for people of all ages and abilities. As an artist and teacher, the creative engagement Jo has with the farm and shares with others, continues to grow and deepen and is a constant source of inspiration and delight.
Kevin - educational visits
Kevin Cotter is one of organicARTS' enthusiastic education officers. He can be found exploring the farm with groups of children, telling stories round fires and creating educational resources for the website. Kevin used to be a classroom based teacher and even tried being a headteacher before deciding that outdoors was better than in! He loves discovering new things and sharing them with others. Alongside his work with organicARTS at West Town he is involved in linking local communities with local food through Love Local Food. He loves all of the farm but especially the look on people's faces when they go through the gate from the railway cutting onto the high hills of Underfore!
Harriet - marketing and events
As one of the newest members of the team Harriet has only been at the farm since November 2011. Before that Harriet lived in London, working for 10:10, helping people, businesses and organisations to cut their carbon in a positive way. However, food and farming is something Harriet's really enthusiastic about, she's looking forward to encouraging lots more people to visit the farm and hold their events here so they can be in a beautiful location and eat lots of yummy organic food. You're most likely to find Harriet in the office and on the farm's twitter and facebook pages but her favorite thing about the farm is the beautiful view you get when you climb the hill and look back over the valley.
Winston - the farm dog
The term 'farm dog' is loosely applid to Winston as he's not a properly trained collie but is actually a rescue dog. Nobody knows where Winston came from but he was living wild in the woodland around the farm and eating out of local bins until he became friends with the other dogs on the farm and gradually became tame enough that Andy and Jenny could take him in, now lives in the farm house with them. Winston is happiest when he's out and about on the farm with Andy, though he's less fond of the wash he normally needs on their return.
