THE owners of a farm, café and campsite in Nympsfield have teamed up with an environmental charity to plant trees and create habitats for wildlife in Stroud district.

Family-run Thistledown Farm will donate five per cent of all hot drink sales from its Fieldfare Café to Stroud Valleys Project to spend on tree planting and habitat creation.

Run by the Kelly family since 1994, Thistledown began with the offer of an alternative approach to camping, with car-free pitches, solar-powered showers and compost loos.

“Stroud Valleys Project rely on donations and volunteers to operate so hopefully this will make a big difference and enable the planting of thousands of extra trees per year,” said Ryan Kelly, who oversees the campsite.

Last May the farm expanded to include a café, selling and using produce from Five Valleys businesses such as Woefuldane Organic Dairy in Minchinhampton, Winstones ice cream in Stroud and Stroud Brewery in Thrupp.

“I really wanted to set up a loyalty scheme but didn't fancy the 'buy 9 drinks get one free' approach and I really feel that this kind of 'environmental loyalty scheme' will resonate with a lot of our customers, especially once we start seeing woodland creation that's been funded by it,” Ryan continued.

The Fieldfare café, run by Tallulah Frost and head chef Jamie Bill, is open for lunch Wednesday through Friday and offers brunch and evening meals at the weekend.

Its dining conservatory overlooks the Woodchester valley and houses the open kitchen in which meals are prepare on a wood-fired clay oven and charcoal barbeque.

The Stroud Valleys Project was founded in 1988 and its volunteers work with local community groups to help, inspire and train them to discover and nurture the wildlife and green spaces on their doorsteps.

It aims to open up opportunities for a much wider group of people to become involved in environmental improvement, reaching out to young and old, as well as to those previously cut off from such activities by disadvantage or disability.