Purpose in Practice Series
Throughout 2026, we are showcasing a selection of Triple Bottom Line Accounting’s purpose-driven business and social enterprise clients. This series embodies our company’s purpose – a living statement we continue to refine through ongoing team dialogue: “to transform accountancy from opaque compliance into collaborative partnership – empowering purpose-driven SMEs with financial capability and reshaping the profession itself, so that investing in people, planet, and lasting impact becomes the norm.”
This is the next in our series profiling TBLA clients whose work centres on environmental stewardship and social impact. Following our features on the Agroforestry Research Trust, Good Small Farms, Investors for Purpose, and PfBIO, we’re proud to share our partnership with the Apricot Centre.
Regenerating Land, Lives and Livelihoods
The Apricot Centre is a regenerative farm, education centre and wellbeing service based at Huxhams Cross Farm in South Devon. Their mission captures something profound: regenerating land, lives and livelihoods, recognising the deep connection between healthy soil, nourishing food systems and the wellbeing of people and communities.
Through biodynamic and regenerative farming, therapeutic wellbeing services and practical education programmes, they demonstrate how land-based systems can support climate resilience, biodiversity, community wellbeing and sustainable livelihoods. Their work integrates food production, training and therapy to create a model where environmental regeneration and human wellbeing are mutually reinforcing.
A Vision Realised
When Marina and Mark O’Connell took on the tenancy for Huxhams Cross Farm in 2015, they brought with them decades of experience in horticulture, permaculture design, regenerative agriculture as well as wellbeing, therapeutic practices in nature and mental health support. With the help of a fantastic team including Dave Wright, Bob Mehew and Rachel Phillips they transformed the land, making the 150-acre biodynamic farming system flourish into a place that helps support the community’s wellbeing, sequester carbon, be resilient to climate change, support rich biodiversity, produce diverse local food and be economically viable.
Many of you will remember Marina speaking at TBLA’s Sustainable Food Production event in September 2022, where she passed round soil samples showing the dramatic transformation from the depleted soil of 2015 to the fertile, productive earth the farm had become. Her passion for demonstrating that regenerative agriculture works – both ecologically and economically – inspired everyone in the room.
Marina sadly passed away in 2024. She is deeply missed as a friend and a client, and her legacy continues to flourish at the Apricot Centre.
Continued Growth Under New Leadership
Under the stewardship of Managing Director Rachel Phillips, the phenomenal team at the Apricot Centre has expanded its impact whilst staying true to Marina and Mark’s vision. The organisation operates as a not-for-profit delivering measurable outcomes across agriculture, education and wellbeing.
From their regenerative farm, they grow biodynamic food, support biodiversity and demonstrate climate-conscious land management practices. Their carefully managed grazing helps rebuild healthy soils whilst their biodynamic approach works with natural cycles and moon phases – ancient wisdom validated by modern soil science.
Pioneering Education and Wellbeing
The Apricot Centre’s education programmes are groundbreaking. They offer the first ever accredited learning programmes in regenerative agriculture in the UK, equipping individuals and businesses with the skills to build resilient food systems and providing practical pathways into land-based careers. These programmes blend permaculture, regenerative agriculture and sustainable land management, combining rigorous academic frameworks with hands-on farm experience.
Alongside farming and education, they run specialist wellbeing services supporting children, young people and families through nature-based therapeutic programmes delivered on the farm. These programmes combine psychotherapy, mentoring and hands-on engagement with the land to support resilience, healing and connection. Their newest initiative focuses on supporting mental health within the farming community – addressing a critical need in the agricultural sector.
What TBLA Has Done for the Apricot Centre
TBLA has supported the Apricot Centre in aligning their work with regulatory expectations whilst offering guidance within a complex organisation. From the early days working with Marina and Mark O’Connell through to supporting Rachel’s leadership, we’ve been an essential part of the Apricot Centre’s journey since 2015.
We handle the financial complexity behind the scenes – ensuring compliance whilst allowing the team to focus on their core mission. As they put it: “We like that TBLA consists of real people whom we can talk to at any time.”
How This Has Helped Their Mission
Working with TBLA has enabled the Apricot Centre to focus more fully on delivering their core mission: regenerating land, supporting wellbeing and training the next generation of land-based practitioners.
By strengthening the operational and compliance aspects of their education programmes, TBLA has helped ensure their initiatives are sustainable and scalable. This support allows their team to concentrate on delivering impactful learning experiences, supporting communities and advancing regenerative agriculture.
Why The Apricot Centre Chose TBLA
“At the Apricot Centre, we’re intentional about the organisations we work with. Our work is rooted in regeneration, community wellbeing and creating sustainable livelihoods, and we look for collaborators who share those principles.
When choosing our accountants, we wanted an organisation who understood the importance of purpose-led organisations and the realities of running a social enterprise. The clear alignment in values stood out immediately. It was evident that Peter, Fran and our dedicated account manager, Tatiana Blana, genuinely believe that organisations can operate with integrity whilst delivering meaningful social and environmental impact.
That alignment matters. The Apricot Centre demonstrates how regenerative agriculture, education and therapeutic work can come together to support both people and the land. TBLA shares our belief that business and professional services can enable organisations like theirs to thrive.”
A Holistic Model of Regeneration
The Apricot Centre’s impact extends far beyond their 150 acres. They’ve demonstrated that a small farm can be:
- Carbon negative – sequestering more carbon than it uses
- Biodiversity positive – actively reversing habitat loss
- Economically viable – profitable without compromising values
- Community-centred – providing food, education, therapy and employment
Their farm produces fruit, vegetables, eggs and small-scale grain. They partner with other farms and bakeries through “Reclaim the Grain,” growing, milling and baking local grains in collaboration. They deliver boxes across South Devon by electric van, host seasonal celebrations and community events, welcome school groups, and provide a home for innovative projects like the microbiome garden relocated from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Looking Ahead
As the Apricot Centre continues to grow under Rachel’s leadership and with the dedication of their remarkable team, we’re honoured to provide the financial support that allows this remarkable organisation to focus on what they do best: demonstrating that regeneration – of land, lives and livelihoods – isn’t just an ideal, but a practical, replicable model for creating resilient communities and thriving ecosystems.
Their journey reinforces what we’ve always believed: that investing in people, planet and lasting impact isn’t just possible – it’s the foundation for organisations that truly serve their communities and environment.
About the Apricot Centre
The Apricot Centre is a regenerative farm, education centre and wellbeing service based at Huxhams Cross Farm in South Devon. Operating as a not-for-profit, they demonstrate how biodynamic and regenerative farming, therapeutic wellbeing services and practical education programmes can support climate resilience, biodiversity, community wellbeing and sustainable livelihoods.
If your organisation is ready to align its financial management with its values, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re a regenerative farm, education provider, social enterprise, or anywhere in between, Triple Bottom Line Accounting is here to help purpose-driven organisations thrive. Contact us here.
Learn more about the Apricot Centre:
- Website: apricotcentre.co.uk
- Instagram: @apricotcentre
- Facebook: Apricot Centre Wellbeing Service
- LinkedIn: Apricot Centre CIC
- Location: Huxhams Cross Farm, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6AA
Fran leads TBLA’s sustainability services and HR function, delivering Net Zero Workshops, decarbonisation and ESG consultancy for SMEs and organisations. She develops and delivers sustainability education across multiple frameworks, notably as tutor for ESTU Global’s Sustainability Manager and Carbon Manager programmes, teaching sustainability managers and leaders from diverse corporate backgrounds. In her dual role at TBLA, she obtained B Corp certification and drives the company’s ongoing ESG momentum, while supporting TBLA’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility through practical sustainability solutions and a focus on inclusive team leadership through the company’s HR function.
