A former BBC journalist has used a mentoring service to help her family farm on the Carmarthenshire-Ceredigion border.

Sara Edwards returned to manage Pantyfen Uchaf, a 200-acre family farm that had been nurtured for years by her father, John Edwards.

In a bid to continue her father's valuable agri-environmental work, which entailed planting 2,000 native trees and managing 1.5 miles of riverbank along the River Teifi, she utilised the Farming Connect Mentoring programme.

This is a scheme designed to offer farmers and foresters support and guidance on various topics.

Ms Edwards said: "I realised how little I knew about how things worked, but what I did know was how much I wanted to learn.’’

She saw the mentoring program as the contemporary equivalent of the traditional informal network of neighbouring farmers sharing advice, like in her great-grandmother's farming days.

The mentoring service matched her with near neighbour, Ioan Williams, and since September 2020, Mr Williams’s mentorship has aided her environmental projects on the farm.

This includes planting hedgerows, small blocks of woodland, and the coppicing of hedgerows.

According to Ms Edwards, Mr Williams' guidance has helped her gain a heightened awareness of the prospects for her farm.

"Ioan has walked the farm with me and my observational skills have improved with his guidance.

"He has made me more aware of the possibilities," she said.

His comprehensive grasp of agri-environment schemes has been instrumental in helping her apply for initiatives including the Glastir Small Grants scheme and the Habitat Wales Scheme.

It also provided clarity about the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Ms Edwards expressed her admiration for her father's passion for nature and commitment to planting.

She said: "I am now the one who is physically doing these things and future proofing the farm for the next generation.

"It feels really good to see the farm in good heart while helping the environment and encouraging more wildlife.’’

Reflecting on her decision to register interest with the Farming Connect Mentoring programme, she said: "As farmers we are all on a journey, all on a learning curve, and there is so much we can gain from the services that Farming Connect can provide.’’