Hangingheld is a working farm so there are always jobs to be done. Visitors are free to explore the farm and are welcome to join us as we attend to the daily tasks, whether they be feeding animals, collecting eggs, milking goats, shearing sheep, making hay, calving, weaning, or simply checking on the livestock. Most visitors will be surprised to discover that, despite the obvious difference in climate and the fact that, whilst Somali herdsmen are nomadic, moving their livestock in an endless quest for pasture and water, British farmers keep their animals penned in fields surrounded by fences and hedges, there are more similarities than differences in the way we look after our animals.
As well as the farm, and according to the interests and abilities of each group, we offer a variety of activities, demonstrations, and workshops the majority of which are included in the cost of a visit to Degmo. These include:
The milk of the camel is a remarkable food and the mainstay of the traditional Somali diet. Somalis adore milk and also use milk from their cows and goats and so we offer visitors a chance to try their hand at milking our goats. For those who want to learn more, we take visitors to see a neighbour's dairy farm where they can see a modern milking parlour in action. This invariably gives rise to a common question from those who remember the milk they drank in their homeland. "Why does British milk taste like water?" By way of an answer, we show the differences in pasture eaten by the cows and explain the processes milk is subjected to before it arrives in a supermarket.
Making Subaq (Ghee) and Butter
Also on the theme of milk, and also of great interest to Somalis, is the technique used by the nomads to extract butterfat (burr cad) and turn it into subaq, or ghee, a much prized food used for cooking and the preservation of meats. This we do using genuine Somali milk vessels called haan and, by way of a comparison, we also use an antique British churn to produce old fashioned farmhouse butter. Everyone is encouraged to have a go and there is usually much advice on hand from the older women who remember making subaq when they were young girls.
Culay - The cleaning of milk vessels using firebrands.
After the milk has been churned and the butter and ghee made, it is time to clean the vessels. But whilst the British churn is cleansed with scalding water, the Somalis have their own clever, and highly sophisticated, means of sterilising their haan using a process known as culay which involves firebrands and lots of smoke and steam. This we demonstrate around the camp fire together with a description of the skills used to make the woven vessels in the first place.
Cheese making is not practiced by Somalis. However, because it involves milk, visitors are interested to see how it is done. Using milk from our goats, we demonstrate how to make a simple rennet cheese. We also discuss the ways in which Somali nomads produce a variety of yoghurts and soured milks.
Included in the daily menu is the preparation of popular Somali breads such as laxooh and kibis. Now is the time to examine the various cereals that are used for making breads in both the Somali region and Britain. We show how some are grown, the process by which grains can be milled into flour, and explain which types of flour provide the best taste and nutrition. Then comes the fun. Starting with raw ingredients, everyone has a chance to make and bake their own loaf of yeasted bread. Some loaves are baked on the open fire, others in the oven. 
Add a lump of your own home made butter onto the hot freshly baked bread and yum! Supermarket bread will never taste the same again!
Although menus at Degmo are based upon traditional Somali dishes we encourage variety. When the teenagers whinge about not being able to go out and pick up a pizza, we show them how to make their own and then bake them in the wood fired pizza oven. Simple and fun and ten times more tasty than the high street stores.
Sheep Shearing & Wool spinning
The Somali black headed sheep has no wool and stores fat under its tail, so it a revelation for Somalis when they discover that not only are our sheep fat all over, but each year we must shear the wool from off their backs. After our local shearer, Adrian Watkins, has demonstrated how a sheep is shorn, Sandy, another of our neighbours, lets those who are interested spin the fleece into yarn that can then be used for knitting warm clothes.
Foraging for wild food and the use of plants as sources of natural remedies and medicines for the treatment of both humans and animals are highly developed skills amongst the nomads of the Somali region. Indeed, in many rural areas throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America similar practices survive. Although in industrialised Europe such knowledge has now all but vanished, the beneficial properties of plants and the uses to which they may be put were once widely understood by the inhabitants of the British countryside.
On the farm we are able to illustrate some of the remarkable ways in which Somali nomads use their knowledge of plants and, by delving into the history books, make comparisons with ways in which previous generations who inhabited Hangingheld farm would once have used the herbs and trees which are found growing on the land.
Another practice once common in rural parts of Britain and still known to Somali nomads is the gathering of wild fruits to supplement to their diets. In Britain today searching for wild food from the countryside is a pleasure, rather than a necessity, and when in season, visitors are able to enjoy picking and eating blackberries and wild raspberries, searching for mushrooms in the fields, gathering hazel nuts from the hedgerows, combing the moorland for whimberries, making jelly from the fruit of the rowan tree and, in the autumn, harvesting sloes, damsons, crab apples, hips and haws.
Somalis are an oral society. News and information that in Europe is contained in books and newspapers is, in traditional Somali settings, circulated through the recitation of poems and the recounting of stories. Even today, a great deal of Somali history has yet to be written and is instead passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next. Hence the importance for Somalis growing up in the UK to be encouraged to appreciate and value the oral arts of their forefathers alongside the written word.
At Degmo, as well as celebrating the works of famous Somali poets, both past and present, who represent the pinnacle of their art, we also draw attention to the less talked about, but equally valid, poems and songs which are in daily use by the nomads. Work songs chanted by camel boys as they herd their animals, or draw water from wells. Lullabies sung by mothers to their babies. Poems recited in desperation at the failure of the rains and, when they finally arrive, blessings for the relief rain brings. A wealth of such material can be found here in the UK, lodged in the memories of those whose childhoods were spent in the Somali region. Degmo is a fitting place for such songs and poems to be recalled for the benefit of the generation which has grown up here.
Degmo also wants to encourage younger Somalis to build on their bardic tradition by creating poetry of their own which addresses themes relevant to life in the UK. To this end, poetry gatherings and workshops featuring both distinguished traditional poets and emerging talent from amongst the younger artists can be arranged upon request.
This is certainly not an organised activity - it happens anyway. The jubilation felt by women especially when they finally arrive at Degmo is all that is needed to provoke spontaneous dancing.
Shax is a game enjoyed by Somali men whenever and wherever they have time to while away. Traditionally it takes place on a "board" drawn in the sand with a stick and played using date stones and camel turds for counters, shax requires tactics and skill to win and always draws crowds eager to offer advice to those playing.
The game is not however, unique to Somalis. In Egypt a version of a shax board has been found engraved on the underside of a roofing slab used in the construction of a tomb: presumably played upon by the workers who later laid the stone in place. And in Britain there is an ancient and very similar game known as Nine Mens Morris.
At Degmo we have made some shax boards from wood which are available for visitors to use. Older players are encouraged to explain the rules and etiquette to those of us who are novices, and for those who fancy something less taxing there are other Somali games of skill and dexterity which generally lead to fierce, albeit good natured, competition.
Unsurprisingly for a people who spend night after night sleeping under the stars, Somali nomads have a deep understanding of the night sky. This is used not only for navigation and determining seasonal chances, but as a feature of numerous folk tales. Whilst the skies over Degmo can't quite match those of the Horn of Africa for clarity and detail, in comparison to much of the rest of the UK, on a good night they are stunning, with views of the stars unadulterated by lights from houses and streets.
On moonlit nights, especially during the hottest months, the nomads frequently take advantage of the bright night skies to travel on foot. Journeys made under such conditions are magical experiences and to recreate something of the feeling of crossing the desert and mountains with just the moon and the stars to guide you, at Degmo, on suitable nights, we walk parties of visitors to the top of the farm and beyond using nothing more than the light from the sky to guide us. Then, whilst resting at the summit, we use the opportunity to try and identify some of the stars above.
Traditional life in the Somali region
Evenings are a good time to see a selection from Degmo's archive of photographs taken by Hamish Wilson showing traditional life in the Somali region. Presented in the form of a slide show and talk, these provide a detailed insight into Somali history and culture and illustrate many of the topics discussed through the visit.
A walk around the farm and further into the hills above is both invigorating and rewarding. Visitors are shown how, over generations, the landscape has been shaped by human activity, how conservation is being used to preserve the land for future generations, and how organic farming methods and the use of renewable energy in the form of a wood burning biomass boiler combined with a solar thermal system to provide heating and hot water for the farmhouse is helping to increase the farm's sustainability. There is also the opportunity to look for wildlife and appreciate the diversity of flowers and trees which grow on the farm.
The Wye is one of the UK's finest rivers and some of its finest stretches pass a short distance from Hangingingheld farm at the historic town of Hay-on-Wye. Nearby is The Warren reserve, a shingle beach on the banks of the river where families can play in the water, take part in stone throwing competitions, and explore some of Britain's great unspoilt countryside.
Our friend Tim is passionate about raptors and keeps an aviary of falcons, kestrels, hawks and owls. He is also friendly with ferrets. Of an evening he is often happy to bring a selection of his birds and ferrets for the visitors to meet.
Ralph is another neighbour who welcomes our visitors. He produces apple juice using a variety of historic mills and presses that he has collected over a lifetime of farming. Herefordshire and the surrounding area is well known for growing apples and pears to be used for both eating and the making of cider. Ralph also has a museum full of antique tractors and farm machinery which he takes pleasure in showing visitors.
In virtually every town that lies along the border between England and Wales are found livestock markets at which each week sheep and cattle are bought and sold. Similar scenes are common in the Somali region where there exists a long tradition of exporting surplus livestock to Arabia for meat. A visit to a market is a lively outing and helps visitors understand the process through which animals pass in order to become the meat they eat in the cities.
At any time we are likely to be joined by local farmers and friends and their families from the surrounding valley curious to meet our guests, or help show them how life is lived in the countryside. Often they stay to share a meal, or chat over cups of tea.
Horses are another animal traditionally held in high esteem by Somalis. It therefore comes as no surprise that so many visitors to Degmo want to try their hand at horse riding. To cater for all ages and levels of experience, we have therefore arranged with the friendly people at Bryngwyn Riding Centre for our visitors to be able hire horses and instructors by the hour at a very reasonable cost. Prices include loan of hats and boots. Horses can be shared between two, three and, sometimes, four people: each person taking turns to ride. Rides take place in fantastic scenery over the moors and mountains above the stables. Further details and booking through Degmo.
Organised through Wye Valley Canoe Hire, a half day session for groups of 8 or more persons on the spectacular waters of the river Wye. No previous experience necessary. All equipment is provided together with instruction and supervision by qualified staff. Highly recommended, especially if the weather is hot. Charges at cost price. Further details and booking through Degmo.
