The Defra-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme supports farming and land management activities in England’s Protected Landscapes that make improvements for nature, climate, people and place.

The innovative FiPL programme approach blends national, regional and local priorities and devolves decision making to local experts. It also fills gaps not met by other farming support available, especially for smaller landholders. Contributions to nature recovery and climate resilience, sustainable businesses, social wellbeing and community building, heritage conservation and better access for people to enjoy our nation’s landscapes all feature in programme delivery, coming together to make much more resilient rural places.

Landowners and managers apply for the grants, and the NL teams help to make sure the activities proposed follow best practices and help to deliver more holistic outcomes. Applications for under £10,000 are assessed by a senior member of the relevant protected landscape team. Applications over £10,000 are considered by independent Local Assessment Panels with experts from across the protected landscape.

Charlie is the nature recovery coordinator at Sheepdrove Farm, which is farmed by the Kindersley family.

Back in 2023, Rosie and Charlie were discussing the issue of fallow deer overpopulation; among other things, this means that planting trees for biodiversity or for carbon benefits becomes expensive and difficult. Charlie recognised that this overabundant source of wild meat could be put to good use. Rosie suggested that a redundant meat processing facility on the farm could possibly be repurposed.

Rosie linked Charlie and Kat, with Jemima Selwood, FiPL Officer in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape team.

Together they developed the outline plan which would see the meat processing facility brought back into service.

Charlie says of the work they did with Jemima: “It’s no exaggeration to say that without the FiPL funding, we wouldn’t have been able to build the academy. More than this though, without Jemima’s advice and enthusiasm, we wouldn’t even have had the confidence to develop it as an idea.”

Charlie and Kat wanted to look at how they could make best use of the venison, generating less waste and making any business model more sustainable.

One of the purposes of FiPL funding is to support farm business diversification – Charlie and Kat applied for money to pay for an R&D project investigating how to use the less desirable cuts of meat and engage a wider audience.

This led to the concept of promoting venison charcuterie and FiPL funding supported the purchase of specialist equipment to prepare the product.

Working with Jemima, the Game Changer team have now been able to develop the idea.

As venison charcuterie is different to traditional pork based charcuterie, very few people have the skills to prepare the meat for sale and consumption.

The next step was to provide butchery and charcuterie training.

Working with training providers in Swindon, Newbury and other urban centres, Charlie and Kat have been able to take 63 young people through the training so far in the first year.

There is a rapidly declining number of butchers coming through the training system and government-funded programmes rarely enable trainees to have real hands-on experience. The training Game Changer provides gives every student the chance to learn with a real animal.

Kat says: “The only hands-on experience the students will get during their whole three-year course is with the venison that we supply. This is helping to mainstream venison with the next generation of butchers, chefs and land managers.”

The final piece of the puzzle is for Game Changer to be self-sustaining when delivering this training to the next generation.

The business’s first revenue stream is the sale of venison charcuterie products, the second is kicking off paid for training courses for those who can pay, so it can remain free for those who need it.

Charlie says: “We’re really grateful for the FiPL funding which got us off the ground, but the business has to become self-sustaining, and we want others to benefit from any future FiPL funding opportunities.”

Kat says: “Charlie and I both have day jobs alongside Game Changer. The business is such a passion project. Being able to fill so many gaps – utilising a resource we have an overabundance of to help biodiversity, while also being able to give really high-quality training to young people so they can go on to plug a skills gap – it gives us a real sense of completing a circle.”

Sheepdrove farmer Rosie Kindersley says: ‘It is widely acknowledged that deer populations have increased to the point where they are having a devastating impact on the countryside. On our organic farm, wild venison is a by-product of protecting our woodlands, hedgerows and downland and woodland wild flowers. This wild venison is probably the most sustainable, low-impact, high-nutrient meat available in the UK and yet the demand for it is almost non-existent. This must change and Charlie and Kat are solving this problem both bottom up and top down - from training catering college students in venison butchery and charcuterie to high end retail with Game Changer's fabulously flavoursome cured venison treats that add the wow factor any grazing platter. We are thrilled to host Game Changer Academy on our farm.’