1990
IT ALL STARTS WITH A
WORM
Wiggly Wigglers begins in Herefordshire.
35+ years of worms,wildlife, soil… and some rather unexpected visitors
3 Royal Visits
Two generations. One Herefordshire farm. Quite a lot of worms.
We’ve had some fairly unexpected visitors over the years.
His Majesty King Charles III visited Lower Blakemere Farm twice when he was Prince of Wales — first in 2004 and again in 2020.
His interest in farming, rural businesses and working more closely with nature meant there was plenty to talk about.
By his second visit there was plenty to show him too — the family farm, Wiggly Wigglers, our birdseed, Bokashi, composting and,
inevitably, a wormery.
There was also Erastus the bull and a cup of Earl Grey with
honey.
Pretty standard royal visit, really.
Then, when Charles became King in 2023, we wrote on the
Wiggly website:
“We really hope to welcome Prince William now he has taken over The Duchy of Cornwall.”
We weren’t actually expecting that sentence to work as an invitation.
But twenty months later…
he came.
We’re fairly certain this isn’t actually how royal visits
are arranged.
2004 — CHARLES
2020 — CHARLES
2025 — WILLIAM
2025 — PRINCE WILLIAM COMES TO WIGGLY
“Prince of Wales
praises regenerative farm’s ‘fantastic’ composting efforts”
THE NATIONAL PRESS — JANUARY 2025
Twenty-one years after his father’s first visit, HRH The
Prince of Wales came to Lower Blakemere Farm.
This time the conversation was regenerative farming — soil
health, biodiversity, reducing inputs, carbon, livestock and how we make the
farm more resilient for the next generation.
And naturally, we couldn’t let him leave without getting
him into the worms.
Prince William came into Wiggly Wigglers, learnt about
Bokashi and got properly stuck into one of our wormeries.
His reaction?
“Oh my goodness,
look at that, that’s amazing!”
And his verdict on the composting?
“Fantastic.”
The national press described Lower Blakemere as:
“An innovative Duchy
of Cornwall farm.”
The official Royal Family account also described the
family’s diversification as including a “successful composting business.”
One thing we particularly liked was William asking whether
what we do at household scale could work at farm scale.
Which, rather neatly, is exactly where Wiggly and Lower
Blakemere are heading.
Three royal visits.
Two generations.
One Herefordshire farm.
We’ve been very lucky.
The worms, predictably, seemed completely unfazed.
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The Independent — Prince William at Lower Blakemere
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/prince-of-wales-duchy-of-cornwall-herefordshire-japanese-south-devon-b2687732.html
The Standard — “Fantastic” composting coverage
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-of-wales-herefordshire-japanese-wiggly-wigglers-b1207628.html
Official Royal Family account
https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2025-01-28/the-prince-of-wales-visits-duchy-focus-farm-in-hereford
AND WE’RE STILLMAKING NEWS…
-
BRITISH FARMINGAWARDS 2026 REGENERATIVE FARMER OF THE YEAR — NATIONAL FINALIST
In 2026, A. R. Gorringe & Partners at Lower
Blakemere Farm was selected as one of just three national finalists for
Regenerative Farmer of the Year in the British Farming Awards.Farmers Guardian wrote:
“The Gorringe family is demonstrating
how regenerative agriculture can deliver for soil, nature and the bottom line.”And summed up the approach rather neatly:
“SOIL IS THE STRATEGY.”
Which is really where Wiggly and the farm have come full
circle.For more than 35 years we’ve encouraged gardeners to
compost their waste, recycle nutrients, feed their soil, use worms, support
wildlife and work with nature.Now we’re putting many of those same principles to work
across the farm — cover crops, direct drilling, livestock, Bokashi, worm
compost, compost extracts and biology.But being a finalist certainly doesn’t mean we think we’ve
cracked it.We haven’t.
Some things have worked brilliantly.
Some things haven’t.
Some have been eaten by slugs before we’ve even had time to
form an opinion.And the weather frequently has other ideas altogether.
What matters is that we’re learning — and sharing what we
learn.Different scale.
Same principles. Considerably more muck. -
HEREFORD TIMES COMMUNITY AWARDS 2026 FARMER FINALIST
And this one feels particularly special.
In September 2026, Wiggly Wigglers and Lower Blakemere Farm was named a Farm finalist in the Hereford Times Community Awards.
The Hereford Times headline was:
“Farmer finalists at
Hereford Times Community Awards”and their photograph caption read:
“Heather Gorringe of Wiggly Wigglers, one of this year’s
finalists.”For us, farming and Wiggly have never really been two
separate things.Wiggly started here on the farm.
It’s where we grow things, make things, compost things,
feed the soil, encourage wildlife and try out many of the ideas we then share
with our customers.So alongside being one of three national finalists for
Regenerative Farmer of the Year, being recognised as a Farmer finalist here
at home in Herefordshire means rather a lot.National recognition
is lovely.Recognition from
your own patch is pretty special too.HEREFORD TIMES — SEPTEMBER 2026
https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/26533855.farmer-finalists-hereford-times-community-awards/
NICE THINGS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT WIGGLY
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“Doing a power of good for farming’s image.”
When Heather won Farmers Weekly Alternative Enterprise of the Year, the judges said:
“Combine enlightened management, brilliant customer care and a passion for getting the farming message over to the public and you have a terrific category winner.”
They also highlighted Wiggly’s impact on the wider rural economy through local employment, buying from local farmers and supporting other rural businesses.
Heather was asked whether Wiggly could exist without Lower Blakemere.
Her answer?
“We wouldn’t be Wiggly without the farm.”
Still true.
READ MORE:
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/heather-gorringe-is-the-hse-alternative-enterprise-of-the-year-winner -
“The wildlife specialists Wiggly Wigglers.”
Wildlife has been part of Wiggly from the beginning.
Birds above ground.
Worms below it.
And an extraordinary amount going on in between.
The Independent also once tried one of our wormeries and said Wiggly:
“must surely win the worms’ Wormery of the Year prize every time.”
Possibly the greatest award we never actually entered.
-
“Composting guru Heather Gorringe from Wiggly Wigglers.”
The RHS brought Heather in to talk about worm farms, compost heaps and Bokashi — and how kitchen scraps can become what they rather nicely call:
“garden gold.”
We’ll happily take that.
SEE THE RHS ADVICE:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiration/get-gardening/recycling-food-composting
WIGGLY EVEN MADEIT INTO PARLIAMENT…
We weren’t lobbying for improved working conditions for worms.
But Wiggly Wigglers did make it into Hansard — the official record of the House of Commons.
Speaking in Parliament, Jesse Norman MP referred to:
“the wonderful name of Wiggly Wigglers”
described Heather as a:
“fantastic local dynamo”
and Wiggly as:
“an award-winning example of local entrepreneurship.”
HOUSE OF COMMONS — HANSARD
We’ll take that
The worms remained unavailable for comment.
READ HANSARD:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150203/debtext/150203-0003.htm
WIGGLY ON BBC COUNTRYFILE
Bokashi, biology and a bit of muck
BBC Countryfile came to Lower Blakemere to find out how we make our LIVE Bokashi Bran right here on the farm.
Presenter Margherita Taylor came to see how the same basic biology that can ferment food waste in a kitchen Bokashi bucket can also be used on a completely different scale in our cattle sheds.
There was muck.
There were microbes.
There were cameras.
And there was rather a lot of wheat bran.
At one point getting the bran out of the bag became less a composting demonstration and more of a Bokashi piñata.
Pretty standard day at Wiggly, really.
But underneath the comedy was something important.
The things we talk about at Wiggly aren’t theories dreamt up in a marketing meeting.
We actually use this stuff here.
AND THEN THE WORMS MADE CBEEBIES…WHAT’S IN YOUR PLANTPOT? — 2026
After more than 35 years of Heather trying to convince
anyone who’ll listen that worms deserve considerably more respect, CBeebies
finally gave them the television recognition they deserved.
Heather joined What’s In Your Plant Pot? to help
children discover what’s really happening underneath their feet.
Worms recycle organic matter.
They help improve soil.
They cycle nutrients.
They help plants grow.
And they do the whole lot without sending an invoice.
The lovely bit was watching children get their hands dirty,
ask cracking questions and discover for themselves that soil is actually alive.
Because if children understand what’s happening underneath
their feet, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll care more about what happens
above it too.
The stars of the
show may not have had any legs.
But we reckon they
stole it anyway.
WATCH ON BBC iPLAYER:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002trf5/whats-in-your-plant-pot
READ THE WIGGLY BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY:
https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/blogs/blog/we-re-on-cbeebies-and-the-stars-of-the-show-have-no-legs
FARMERS GUARDIAN— 2026 FROM A KITCHEN-SCALE IDEA TO A FARM-SCALE ONE
In 2026, Farmers Guardian came to Lower Blakemere as part of its coverage of the Duchy of Cornwall Focus Farms.
They looked at the farm’s move away from a conventionally plough-based system towards a much more biologically focused regenerative approach.
They described us as:
“putting these ideas into action”
through biological inputs, composting systems and nutrient-rich brews.
And this is the bit that gets us excited.
The little things Wiggly has been talking about for decades — compost, worms, biology, nutrient cycling and diversity — are increasingly informing what we’re trying on the farm.
We certainly haven’t cracked it.
That’s rather the point.
We’re learning.
READ / WATCH MORE:
https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4529102/farmers-guardian-arable-special-regen-learnings-duchy-cornwall-focus-farmers
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THE OBSERVER ETHICAL AWARDS
Wiggly Wigglers was recognised as a runner-up in the Observer Ethical Awards’ Online Retailer category.
We’ve never been terribly interested in adding “eco” to things for the sake of it.
The idea was always much more practical:
Waste less.
Compost more.
Feed the soil.
Grow things.
Make space for wildlife.
No green halo required.
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FROM HEREFORDSHIRE TO THE WORLD - DELL GLOBAL SMALL BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD
GLOBAL WINNER
This one still sounds slightly unlikely.
A little farm business from Herefordshire selling worms somehow ended up in New York winning Dell’s Global Small Business Excellence Award, after competing with businesses from around the world.
At the time we were doing some fairly unusual things for a rural business — selling online, blogging, podcasting and talking directly to customers through the then-new world of social media.
It eventually took Wiggly to conferences in places including New York, Miami, Washington and Korea.
All very glamorous.
Then we came home and packed some more worms.
Read All
Farmers Guardian: Regenerative Reset at Lower Blakemere Farm
Farmers Guardian | May 2026
Farmers Guardian visited our home at Lower Blakemere Farm in Herefordshire to look at how the farm is changing its approach to soil, livestock and food production — and why soil biology is increasingly at the centre of what we do.
The feature, “Regenerative reset: How one Herefordshire farm has shifted the focus from pure production to soil biology”, explores our move towards regenerative farming and a system based more around living soils, integrated livestock, reduced cultivation, composting and recycling nutrients.
For us, it also tells an important part of the Wiggly Wigglers story.
For more than 30 years we have encouraged gardeners to compost their waste, use worms, try Bokashi, feed their soil and make more room for wildlife.
Today we are putting many of those same principles into practice across Lower Blakemere Farm.
Different scale. Same worms.
We haven't cracked it — farming makes quite sure nobody gets that confident — but we are learning a huge amount about how healthier soils, more biology and better nutrient cycling can help us build a more resilient farm.
Read the Farmers Guardian feature →
We also joined the conversation on the Farmers Guardian podcast to talk more about the farm, regenerative farming and what we are trying to achieve.
April 2024 - Revolutionising UK's Approach to Food Waste and Soil Health: The Bokashi Method
Blakemere Herefordshire – As the UK government gears up to enforce separate kitchen waste collection by Spring 2026, Wiggly Wigglers and Lower Blakemere Farm - a pioneering Focus Farm for The Duchy of Cornwall, is leading the charge to revolutionise food waste management and soil health with the Bokashi composting method. Despite its success in countries like Sweden and New Zealand, the Bokashi method remains surprisingly underutilised in the UK. Lower Blakemere Farm is on a mission to change all that by demonstrating the simplicity, effectiveness, and economic benefits of Bokashi, an ancient Japanese composting technique.
Wigglys in the Press
Wiggly Wigglers are the award-winning natural gardening supplies company
Farmers with floweryness, birdfeeds and seeds, wiggling away through life bringing your garden to life.
Alys Flowler: bokashi bin compost
The bokashi bin is a Japanese system that pickles your waste (bokashi means fermentation) and is perfectly suited to small spaces. You need two bins (they can be kept indoors) and special bran inoculated with good bacteria. In goes all your cooked and uncooked kitchen waste and a sprinkle of the magic bran.
Trend watch: why compact compost boxes and wormeries are must-haves for small gardens
Trend watch: why compact compost boxes and wormeries are must-haves for small gardens
From starter wormeries to mini composters, here’s how green-fingered Londoners are going big with composting — in even the smallest of outdoor spaces.
Worm power: turning kitchen waste into compost gold
Worms need to have somewhere to burrow. You can use a variety of things for this: peat moss, well-rotted manure, leaf mould, newspaper or cardboard. I used old newspaper. Tear into long strips along the grain, enough to fill your container, then take a quarter and dunk into water, squeezing out until what's left is the consistency of a wrung-out sponge. Place in the bottom of your container, pulling apart to create some structure and allow the air to circulate. The rest of the paper goes back in on top once you've added your worms.
Feeding birds in the garden: Friends in need
Don’t over-tidy your winter garden – you could be clearing away valuable bird food says Elspeth Thompson.
Bish Bash Bokashi
Bokashi retains 99% of the carbon, so you can have more to put back into the soil and ultimately feed more energy. According to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in the UK, the average person generates over 75 kilos of food waste annually, costing local authorities around £1000 per household.
Composting tips for any size garden, from tiny terraces to larger lawns;
Whether you live in a city flat or a country pile, recycling your own organic waste is a vital part of tackling the climate crisis
Composting and rats: Is bokashi the answer?
I hate to see all this good stuff leave, so I have now placed my faith in bokashi. The idea is that you sprinkle the bran on your layers of food waste (ANY food waste: fish, meat, egg shells, the lot) and leave it for two weeks during which time it has a sort of pickling effect. The pickled waste is then put straight onto the compost bin and then rots down extremely quickly.
Top 10 Quirky Business Names
Heather Gorringe, managing director at Wiggly Wigglers, says: "The Wiggly Wigglers name came about because originally we were using worms for compost for our business. I had a book on composting that said in the USA worms are called Red Wigglers, so I planned to call the company 'Wigglers'. However when I went to see a patenting expert, he told me that as Wiggler is a descriptive word it couldn't be patented, so Wiggly Wigglers it was. Everyone tells us how they never forget our business name and GrowthAccelerator has been helping us to boost our brand to make it even more memorable."
A FEW WIGGLY MOMENTS
2004
HRH THE PRINCE OF
WALES
The future King Charles III makes his first visit to Lower Blakemere.
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FARMERS WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR — WINNER
And apparently we’re doing a power of good for farming’s image.
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DELL GLOBAL SMALL BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD — WINNER
Herefordshire → New York.
Worms go global.
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OBSERVER ETHICAL AWARDS
ONLINE RETAILER — RUNNER-UP
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
WIGGLY MAKES HANSARD
An “award-winning example of local entrepreneurship.”
2020
HRH THE PRINCE OF
WALES RETURNS
Farm.
Wiggly.
Birdseed.
Bokashi.
Worms.
Erastus the bull.
Earl Grey.
2023
We write:
“We really hope to welcome Prince William…”
What could possibly happen?
2025
PRINCE WILLIAM ARRIVES
Gets his hands into the worm compost.
Calls it “fantastic.”
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BBC COUNTRYFILE
BOKASHI, MICROBES
AND MUCK MAKE THE TELLY
2026
FARMERS GUARDIAN
The household-scale ideas increasingly meet farm-scale
biology.
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CBEEBIES
Wiggly worms achieve the celebrity status they always felt they deserved.
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BRITISH FARMING AWARDS
One of three national finalists — Regenerative Farmer of the Year.
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HEREFORD TIMES COMMUNITY AWARDS
Farmer Finalist.
Recognition from our own patch.
FROM A WORM TO A WHOLE FARM
Perhaps the bit we’re proudest of isn’t an award at all.
It’s that the original Wiggly idea has stood up rather well.
Back in 1990 we were talking about worms, composting, recycling nutrients, feeding birds, encouraging wildlife and working with
nature.
Today some of those ideas have acquired the rather grander label of regenerative.
We certainly didn’t invent any of it.
Worms were composting long before Wiggly arrived and farmers were working with nature long before anybody called it regenerative agriculture.
What we’ve always tried to do is:
notice what works, have a go ourselves and pass it on.
The garden and the farm aren’t separate worlds.
Healthy soil grows healthy plants.
Plants support insects.
Insects support birds.
Waste becomes compost.
Compost feeds the soil.
And round it goes.
The farm isn’t our showroom.
It’s our classroom.
We try things.
Some work brilliantly.
Some don’t.
Some get eaten by slugs.
And some lessons are considerably more expensive than others.
But whatever we learn, we’ll share it.
35+ YEARS LATER…We’re still here.
Still farming.
Still composting.
Still feeding the birds.
Still experimenting.
Still counting worms.
Still getting things wrong occasionally.
Still learning from nature.
