Lakeside and Field Walks

Many studies have shown that taking a lunchtime walk not only boosts productivity during those otherwise sleepy afternoons but can also improve your mood and, when done with colleagues, provides opportunities to discuss the rest of life more freely. It is well known that conversation flows much easier whilst walking. Talking about work is fine too, of course, a little.

At the Blisworth Hill Business Park, near Towcester, we are blessed with having a small lake on-site, complete with a few aquatic residents and waterfowl, and beautiful countryside on our doorstep. Both offer the chance to get outside in the nice weather, stretch your legs, give your back a break from the desk chair, and tear your eyes away from glowing screens.

Of course, as the Spring turns into Summer, and the weather gets hotter please take care in the heat. Stepping outside into a blazing summer’s day from a cool office might make you feel a little dizzy and actually less productive if you don’t drink sufficient water and wear a suitable hat. Reports from Japan suggest this is more likely with men who don’t get enough sleep. Please enjoy the walks, and enjoy a cool drink, perhaps from the on-site Briary Barn Cafe. Taking a daily walk should help you sleep better too.

New Outside Furniture

To enhance our walks and outside space, for Spring and Summer 2022 we have added a selection of recycled furniture from NBB Recycled Furniture. In celebration of being able to socialise freely, a selection of 2-bench and 4-bench tables will be scattered around the Lakeside walk and business park. Ideal for some quiet contemplation, chatting over lunch or having a meeting outside, we hope the new furniture will be well used and loved. We are pleased to be able to continue our green approach and use furniture made entirely from recycled material – putting plastic waste to good use.

Here are some photos of some of our new furniture, sitting quietly whilst awaiting the selection of their new positions in the park.

If you are looking to rent an office near Towcester, which is also really handy for Northampton and MK, then why not take the time to come and look around. We have a number of different sized offices all set in a beautiful location, with plenty of parking, green energy, electrical car charging points and, as we say above, lovely spaces for you to get outside in when not eating at our cafe or using the on-site gym.

Contact us today to book an appointment.

Did you know that our country business park is powered using green energy by our AD plant? The Blisworth Hill Farm Anaerobic Digestion plant has just taken delivery of the new maize harvest which will be used to generate 250kW/h of electricity which will be fed directly to Blisworth Hill Business Park. The special thing is, we grew and harvested it too. Excess power, such as that produced at night time, is fed back into the national grid. As a farm and business park, we are proud to be providing our own renewable energy and would love to share a little insight into the process with you. We hope that we might inspire other businesses and farmers to look at ways to provide green energy for themselves and others.

What is an Anaerobic Digestion Plant?

Anaerobic Digestion Plants (AD Plants) use the methane produced by bacteria (methanogens) when digesting biomass, in our case maize, as a fuel that is used in a generator to make electricity. In effect, it is a carefully controlled process, whereby plant mater is broken down using bacteria into component parts creating a gas rich in methane. The maize is grown specifically to feed this bacteria and is known as “feedstock”. The heat generated by the process is also put to good use heating the feedstock to the optimum temperature of 44 degrees which the bacteria thrive on.

Our maize provides around half of the 6000 tons of feedstock needed to provide power all year round. The maize is rolled and consolidated to remove the oxygen and covered to preserve it in an anaerobic state which can be used throughout the year. The additional 50% of the annual feedstock requirement is made from grass and whole crop.

What Happens to the Digested Biomass from the AD Plant?

Once the gas has been released, the end result is an odour-free product, known as digestate, that is ideal for spreading on the land as fertiliser being rich in important plant-growing elements such as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. We use this “waste” product as fertiliser for the next round of “feedstock” to be harvested and used next year. The fact that the end product can be used in this way, along with the gas and heat from the digestion process, makes anaerobic digestion a great self-sustaining model of renewable energy production.

Feel Good About The Electricity You Use At Work

It is time to start feeling good about the electricity that you use at work, rather than guilty. It really feels great knowing that the power you use comes from a local and renewable energy source. It can also be a client-pleasing statement to be able to say that you work in a green-energy office.

If you are looking for an office to let in the Northampton and Towcester area, and care about green energy, or would like to know more about our aim to make business greener, then please send us a message or call us on 01327 811 714.

As part of our on going environmental commitment on the farm, we have planted a wild flower meadow at the rear of the Business Park. This has bought about an abundance of pollen and nectar rich flowers throughout the summer and encourages farmland birds such as Yellow hammers to forage. The flower plot contains four different grass species such as common bent, sheep’s fescue and smaller cats-tail as well as 10 flower species such as birds foot trefoil, vetch, lady’s bedstraw, meadow buttercup, musk mallow and ox-eye daisy to name but a few.

We are delighted to see the return of House Martins again this year at Blisworth Hill Farm. These lovely birds have glossy blue-black upper parts and pure white under parts. They have a distinctive white rump with a forked tail. They spend much of their time on the wing collecting insect prey. Their carefully constructed mud nests can be seen under the eaves of the offices and we have up to 40 nests dotted around the Business Park. They are summer migrants and spend their winters in Africa. Although still numerous and widespread, recent moderate declines earn them a place on the Amber List.

Briary Barn café is signed up to the eat out to help out scheme

So HALF PRICE food & drinks every Mon, Tues and Weds in August

And its unlimited, so people can visit as often as they want!

Eat in only

We will need to take your contact name & company details, as part of our Covid risk assessment commitments

As from today the Café will be open longer hours- closing at 3 pm

During lockdown our Maintenance Team have been busy carrying out essential repairs around the site at Blisworth Hill Farm offices.

Another bumper crop on its way to produce renewable energy for Blisworth Hill Farm offices

High quality feedstocks are vital to an efficient and productive AD plant and we pride ourselves on using best practice so that feedstocks of optimum quality are produced.

Anaerobic Digestion also provides numerous benefits to the farming community. It allows farmers to grow valuable break crops and by providing another income stream for growers it takes the volatility out of farming. It also encourages sustainable crop rotation which has numerous benefits from weed suppression to pest control to soil conditioning. This in turn means improved and more profitable crop yields in future years.

BHP Ltd is delighted to announce that as of Monday 6th July 2020 Briary Barn café at Blisworth Hill Farm Business Park,will reopen under the management of the experienced team of Bon Viveur catering. They initially plan to offer a reduced menu until the occupancy on the Business Parks picks up again and are following all the strict guidelines and measures to ensure the safety of all clients and staff.

We wish them the best of luck and look forward to testing out their menu!