A home-grown exhibition opens early June at Clitheroe Castle Museum, celebrating the pivotal role women play in the success of family farms in the remote uplands of the Forest of Bowland.
'Women in Farming - Empowering Women, Champions of Upland Farming’ is a collection of portraits, interviews and recordings which capture the essence of life on upland family farms in remote rural areas like the Forest of Bowland.
Dedicated to women in farming around the world, the exhibition has been curated by Tarja Wilson, from the Forest of Bowland National Landscape Partnership, who has worked with farming communities for more than 30 years.
Inspired by meeting dozens of strong, independent women who play essential roles on their family farms, Tarja created the exhibition. She captured the content on-site at over a dozen farms throughout the National Landscape.
"I couldn’t fail to be inspired by all the strong, independent farming women I’ve met over the years, and I think there are more women directly involved in farming now than ever.
In what has always been such a traditionally male-dominated industry, I felt it was the perfect time to capture a ‘snapshot in history’ sharing portraits, interviews and recordings of just some of the many women playing such an integral role today".
The portraits are accompanied by a soundscape weaving interviews with female farmers together with the sounds of Bowland recorded with young people from the fringes of the area by artist Rob St John as part of his ‘Are You Lost?’ project. Are You Lost? is part of the nationwide National Landscapes Association ‘Nature Calling’ outdoor community arts programme.
Tarja’s project recently attracted the attention of the BBC’s Countryfile programme, who visited the Forest of Bowland to interview her about the project. They were interested in meeting the women who inspired the photography which included farmers Sarah Whitwell and Christine Scott.
Christine Scott and her daughter Liz, farm 2,500 acres on a family-run mixed cattle and sheep farm standing at more than 1,000ft above sea level above Slaidburn.
“We had to overcome a lot of challenges down the years,” said Christine. “From sheep rustling in the early years to digging lambs and ewes out of snowdrifts and persuading various breeds of livestock to return to the fields after they’d strayed into the farmhouse.
Elsewhere in the National Landscape, Sarah Whitwell runs a 185-acre mixed dairy and sheep farm with husband Graham on the edge of the picture postcard village of Waddington. Despite working in an utterly idyllic location, Sarah doesn’t sugar-coat the reality of life of a family farm.
"When it’s pitch-black and hailing sideways at 4:30am on a March morning, you’ve got to go and find a ewe who’s struggling to deliver and then, you need to make sure you’re back to get the kids up and give them breakfast before taking them to school. Maybe you grab a bite to eat, and then your day job starts. At times like these, you do sometimes ask yourself why you put yourself through it."
To read more about these stories and see these women captured as part of the exhibition, visit the Steward's Gallery at Clitheroe Castle Museum between June 7 and 31 August. Claire Sutton, Clitheroe Castle Museum's manager said:
"Women have always been at the heart of the farming community and we are delighted to host an exhibition which celebrates their invaluable contribution through photographs and artefacts that tell stories of strength, tradition, and innovation."
The exhibition will tour various locations across the Forest of Bowland, including at the Hodder Valley Show in September.
