THE CONTINUATION of an old Staunton-on-Arrow farming family has been guaranteed with the promise of an exciting new alternative enterprise.

The family of Leominster GP Jennie Edwards has lived in the village since the 19th Century - now a remedy may have been found to secure the family home for generations to come.

Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, who bought Park Farm in the 1920s, Jennie is planning her own agricultural project - growing herbs for her new alternative medicine practice.

Permission for the business, to be based at a converted barn on the farm, was given by Northern Area planners last week.

Jennie, who currently works for The Marches Surgery, was given the go-ahead to convert the barn into a four-bedroom home with workshops for the practice.

It is hoped the business will enjoy the same success as Horseway Herbs had in the village before it relocated to Kingswood.

The medicinal herbs will also generate an extra source of income for Park Farm through rent payments on converted barns.

Jennie and her partner Andrew Westlake, a director of Burgoynes at Lyonshall, say they are convinced they can combine conservation with progression.

"Knowing that nobody truly 'owns' the countryside and as lifetime 'tenants' we have obligations to conserve it for future generations, we have thought hard about whether this is the right thing to do," they said.

Jennie was born at Park Farm and has continued to help out on a voluntary basis around her work, most recently helping to restock the orchard and putting together an application for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

A course for qualified doctors in herbal medicine is planned which will allow her to advise her NHS patients in Leominster and run the herbal practice from home.

"Having the chance to bring up a fourth generation on the farm would be a privilege for us but also, we hope, an asset to the local community," they added.

l Due to a rescheduling of Dr Edwards' course, the herbal practice will be launched in about two year's time.