By Sarah Newstead

Last updated 07:47, Friday, 21 November 2008

A Cumbrian farmer will give away more than £280,000 of land to a wildlife charity in a bid to keep it out of the hands of developers after her death.

Susan Aglionby

Organic farmer Susan Aglionby this week agreed a deal to transfer 36 acres of her Houghton farm to Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

The move came after the death of close friends made her realise she did not want houses built on Carlisle’s “green lung”.

Mrs Aglionby, 63, said: “Their deaths have made me feel how transient life is. I have to be pragmatic. I’m not going to live forever.

“If it is sold after my death, whoever buys it will want to build houses on it.

“My land stretches from Houghton to Tarraby. It’s like a green lung for Carlisle.

“All of the work with students and friends will be lost. That would make me really sad wherever I am. So I’m giving it away.”

Mrs Aglionby moved to The Croft from London with her lawyer husband, Francis, in 1989.

The pair farmed the land, becoming organic in 2003.

Since her husband’s death six years ago, Mrs Aglionby has continued to farm at Houghton and on a further 75 acres in Armathwaite.

Mrs Aglionby has championed organic methods with a schools education programme and also farms rare breed Cumbrian Longhorn cattle, geese, sheep and hens.

She said: “The only condition of the transfer is that the wildlife trust continue to farm it organically and with preference for Longhorn cattle.

“We’ve had 980 school children out here in the last 12 months and we’ve just won a national award for the work experience programmes we have out here.

“I think it is so important that people know where their food comes from. It seems a pity for all that to be lost.”

Mrs Aglionby believes neither of her two children, Julia who lives in Armathwaite, and John, a journalist with the Financial Times in Jakarta, will want to carry on the farm when she is gone.

“I did think long and hard about this and discussed it with the children.

“I have spoken with friends of my husband, and they believe he would have approved. Everybody I’ve talked to round here is delighted about what I’m doing because they know that over my dead body will people build on this land.”

Although details are still to be finalised and the transfer will take around three years to complete, Mrs Aglionby intends to continue farming at The Croft under a 15 year tenancy.

She will also retain her house and the field behind it.

“People will not notice anything different. They will still be able to buy local organic food.”

She also hopes to continue to work in partnership with the wildlife trust to continue education projects.

It is believed the trust may relocate staff from offices in Penrith to the Houghton site and that it will fundraise to build a permanent eco-education centre.

Mrs Aglionby added: “I have decided to make the gift and the trust have decided to accept it. But there’s still a lot to happen.

“I don’t know what will happen when the 15-year tenancy is up, but my daughter did say I would probably still be directing from my quad bike in my 90s!”