FCo Rural Estates Newsletter Spring 2022 - Flipbook - Page 3
Most rural estates have a rich history which they wish to sustain and
protect for the future. This strong sense of stewardship is at the heart
of their identity. To be thoughtful about ESG issues (Environmental,
Social and Governance) is not to jump on a modish bandwagon,
but to be genuinely interested in matters of enduring concern to the
management and culture of rural estates.
James Maxwell
The environment looms large (see Patrick Hammond on Preparing the ground for solar
and Tom Kirkman on Buying woodland). But the social influence of estates on the wider
community is also increasingly in focus (see Tabitha Juster on Embracing ESG); as is the
importance of good governance in a world where the public eye is ever more invasive and
critical (Emma James considers the use of charitable structures in Goodwill in the Willows).
At Farrers our sense is that rural estates wish to thrive as businesses and also be a force
for good. Sometimes it is worthwhile stepping back from what Wordsworth called the
“getting and spending” of our immediate commercial concerns to take a longer view.
So I hope you will take a break from your task list today, visit our Tomorrow Together
digital hub (view here) and ponder what we can do together to help shape and protect a
sustainable future.
Rural Estates Newsletter
Spring 2022
3