For example we've been doing the Big Farmland Bird Survey in the last two weeks and we now have four years of data for Holkham. We have surveyed close to 50 farms of Holkham-owned land and already we can see where we are making a difference and where we are not." We drive up to the Coke monument, a classical stone column commemorating the life and work of the 1st Earl, Thomas William Coke (1754– 1842), and his contribution to agriculture. At its base is a pedestal with mottos, including “small in size and great in value” and “live and let live”.

So he did. He turned up to a soundproof booth and the producer said, ‘Let’s start at 10 and break at 11 for 20 minutes, then have lunch from one to two.’ ‘No,’ said Jake, ‘We need to get this done – no breaks and we’ll stop for a 10-minute sandwich.’ Fiennes sets out to turn his North Norfolk farm into a case study of best practice, demonstrating that, with longer cycles of crop rotation, appropriate and more diverse planting in the off season, a sympathetic and intelligent approach to drainage management and hedge husbandry, significant increases (sometimes more than doubling) in wildlife diversity can be recorded in as little as one year. I feel the impetus for talking about these things now more than ever because of what is happening in the broader world. I’m continuing to reflect on what the 21st century brings for all of us practicing nature-based spirituality. Many of you can probably easily witness the impetus for doing land healing work in your immediate areas: a forest or tree friend being cut, spraying, pollution in the skies or waterways, the loss of species that you used to see, and so on. In this post, I’ll start with a plea, if you will, for why I think that nearly everyone practicing any kind of earth-based, druid, or nature spirituality should consider taking up land healing practices as a core spiritual practice. After that, throughout this year, I’ll be sharing posts filling in some of the gaps from my previous writing and offering deeper practices. Next week’s post will offer my revised and expanded framework for land healing practices, which include everything from physical land regeneration techniques to energetic work, witnessing work, apology, land guardianship, shifting your own practices to reduce your footprint on the earth, and self-care. The Impetus for Land Healing Practices as Spiritual Practice

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One of the motive forces behind this new way of looking at the land’– Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England Even though most of us aren’t farmers, Fiennes believes that his principles can be followed in gardens, too. My deep frustration with all of this, in conversations I have been having over the last few months, is that no-one records what they do," he said. We can only solve the crises of climate, extinction and human ill-health by healing our relationship with the land. Jake Fiennes shows us how in this inspiring, realistic and practical book"

Exiting Europe and designing our own agricultural policy should be an exciting time – in that a field is no longer just about food production, but also how we maintain it and how we look after it, how we make it more resilient to climate change.’ But frustratingly, he says, of the second part of the transition to the new system, local nature recovery, which he thinks is more important, ‘we’re hearing nothing about’. There isn’t even a pilot planned until 2023. Holkham employs two full-time nature wardens. There’s Paul, and there’s also Andy, who is self-taught ‘and has an unhealthy relationship with spoonbills and herons – he’s out there seven days a week just looking at them, and he only recognises spiders by their Latin names.’ Geese flying over new wetlands at Holkham National Nature Reserve (Image: Archant 2022) Wetland TransformationsFrom a thirty-year career in conservation, game-keeping and land management, his advice and expertise is being sought by an increasing number of key players in the conservationist and agricultural fields – including the Ministry of Agriculture, the NFU, the Prince of Wales, the National Trust, the RSPB and Natural England, among others. Mr Fiennes was appointed at Holkham in 2018, taking on the responsibility for its farmland conservation as well its internationally-important National Nature Reserve - which welcomes thousands of wintering geese and waders as well as being home to the largest breeding colony of spoonbills in the country. I never thought I’d say this, but it looks like the government have got this right, and, since brexit, are enabling farmers to undertake activities which are actually benefitting England’s wild flowers, insects, animals and birds. Heartbreaking and hopeful, this story of a farming revival has never been more important. It opened my eyes and touched my soul.'- Esther Freud Since WW2, industrial farming has transformed Britain’s rural landscapes, through generous government subsidies, mechanisation and agrochemicals which has resulted in a food culture shaped by cheap food. This miracle, however, has come at a massive and often hidden cost: the UK is one of most nature depleted countries on the planet, with rising food inequality and related public health issues.

Following the farming year and the natural cycle of the seasons, Land Healer chronicles a life of conservation lived at the edges, and is a manifesto for rethinking our relationship with the natural world before it’s too late.

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What I love about this monument is that it’s all about agriculture and food. ‘Small in size …’ refers to sheep, but to me it refers to bumble bees or butterflies or toads – and ‘Live and let live’ – that’s the biodiversity crisis. We need to share. We need to share this planet with everything that’s in it rather than trying to remove it or destroy it.’ Mr Fiennes had a hectic childhood, living in Wiltshire, Dorset, Ireland, London and Suffolk, and attending 13 different schools.

Then we drive to the iron age hill-fort of Warham Camp, a stunning secret spot of chalk grassland that is probably Norfolk’s butterfly capital. For a decade or so, it has been the only place in the county where the chalkhill blue survives. Suddenly, last summer thousands of these butterflies danced over the fort, along with brown argus and common blue. More butterflies are a sign that millions more less-studied flying insects and pollinators will be thriving too, as well as the birds, bats and shrews that feed on them. Anything left over in the pot will be fed into distribution and impact. Which helps pay for technical screening costs in front of live audiences and develops materials for impact and education. Fiennes is conservation manager at Holkham, where he has worked for the past three years. He is also on a mission: to save the British countryside through the regeneration of farming, and he wants to introduce me to the good and the bad in the hedge world as a starting point.

This amount will be used to fully fund the post production rather than just the editing. The extra funds will pay for technical expertise and time such as sound mixing, colour grading, animation and music. All these elements mean the film will be screened for you at cinematic quality.