Tucked away behind a housing estate in East Durham, just minutes from the throng of the A19 and the hustle and bustle of Dalton Park, lies a unique farm that’s a masterclass in sustainable living.

From jams made from apples and gooseberries grown on site to compost toilets and off-grid tipis with no running water or electricity, Dalton Moor Farm’s 24 acres are truly self-reliant.

Jenny at the farm in East Durham | Sunderland Echo

placeholder image — Jenny at the farm in East Durham | Sunderland Echo

Now, the East Durham hidden gem is in line for a national award after being shortlisted in Britain’s Best Net Hero Business at this year’s Small Awards.

Now in its tenth year The Small Awards is a nationwide search for the UK’s greatest small firms, across all sectors. It is organised annually by Small Business Britain, which champions and supports the nation’s 5.5 million small firms.

Dalton Moor Farm is a net zero 134 acre veganic fruit farm and regenerated wild ‘food forest’, developed for the benefit of wildlife and humans, with a net carbon saving of 244831 kg CO2e per year.

Jenny Connor has lived in the land’s 400-year-old farm house since 1992 and in 2011 bought the land around it.

At the time she juggled the farm with her career as a radiologist but after 40 years in the NHS, 27 years of those spent at Sunderland Royal Hospital, she decided to retire and focus fully on the farm in 2019.

The farm produces its own vegan friendly ‘hunny’ | Sunderland Echo

“We do things to ourselves all the time that make us sick,” said Jenny. “It’s interesting because I ended up going from conventional medicine into root cause and lifestyle medicine.”

Along with their farm hands, she and husband Tom brought wildlife back to the ex-arable land, planting many miles of fruitful hedges and thousands of trees, dividing up the land into smaller paddocks to create differing habitats that link together and restoring a diverse habitat across the farm.

The back-to-nature site is a hive of activity, hosting monthly full moon circles at its gazebo space, regular foraging walks, seasonal events such as wassailing (an old tradition in which orchards are blessed), Summer Solstice gatherings, school visits, weekend retreats, weddings, workshops in its barn and more.

The business has been selected as one of just eight finalists for the Net Hero Award for best sustainability focused business.

Dr Jenny Connor at the farm’s tipis | Sunderland Echo

It recognises a small business with an exceptional commitment to environmental sustainability.

Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder of Small Business Britain, said: “We are so proud to be celebrating a decade of the Small Awards. The awards celebrate the very best of the UK’s small business owners, who make such a difference in their local communities and are a key driver of the nation’s economic growth.

“The awards are a great opportunity to recognise the success and contributions of so many small businesses – Dalton Moor Farm is extremely deserving of being a finalist, and we look forward to celebrating together in May.”

Jenny said “I am really proud to have been shortlisted for the Net Hero Award. Sustainability is the founding principle of my business and runs through everything we do.”

Judged by a panel of industry experts, the winners of all categories, including the overall winner of the Small Business of the Year award, will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on May 21, 2026.