What the region makes
Sectors that define the Welsh Borders economy.
Rural economies are often described in broad strokes — farming, tourism, craft. The reality is more interesting. The Welsh Borders has distinct concentrations of specialist enterprise that don't appear in national statistics, don't show up in conventional directories, and are often invisible to anyone who doesn't know where to look.
WB-REI is building that picture, sector by sector.
Artisan Craft & Making
The Welsh Borders has one of the densest independent maker economies in England and Wales.
Blacksmithing, ceramics, glasswork, furniture, basketry, textiles, jewellery and woodworking — the region has a remarkable concentration of working craft businesses that go well beyond hobbyist or tourist-facing production. Many are decades-old operations supplying national retailers, heritage organisations and international buyers.
Herefordshire's h.Art open studios programme and Shropshire's strong craft fair circuit provide year-round visibility for makers. Ironbridge's heritage cluster and the Wye Valley studio trail draw consistent visitor numbers to craft-based destinations.
The challenge for most craft businesses is digital — strong physical reputations and loyal local followings that haven't yet translated into online discoverability or e-commerce capability.
Blacksmiths, ceramics studios, glass artists, furniture makers, textile producers
Food & Drink Production
From cider orchards to artisan cheesemakers — the Welsh Borders food economy is deep and distinctive.
Herefordshire alone accounts for a significant proportion of England's cider apple production. Add Worcestershire's fruit-growing heritage, Monmouthshire's food festival culture and Powys's specialist meat and dairy producers, and you have one of the most interesting food economies outside of the major agricultural counties.
This is not a sector of large processors. The Welsh Borders food economy is defined by small and micro producers — farm shops, smokeries, honey producers, specialist bakers, cheesemakers and cider houses — many operating direct-to-consumer or supplying independent retailers and hospitality.
Welsh Government funding through the Food Business Accelerator Scheme supports producers in Powys and Monmouthshire specifically. In Herefordshire and Shropshire, UKSPF and Rural Prosperity Fund grants have supported food business equipment and premises investment.
Cider producers, farm shops, cheesemakers, smokeries, honey producers, specialist bakers
Equestrian & Farriery
One of the most economically significant underdocumented sectors in the region.
The Welsh Borders has an exceptionally strong equestrian economy — riding schools, livery yards, studs, competition yards, training facilities, specialist vets and an extensive network of farriers, saddlers and equine feed and equipment suppliers.
Farriery in particular is concentrated in Herefordshire and Shropshire, reflecting the density of working horses — from leisure and sport to the region's continued working horse tradition. The Worshipful Company of Farriers' training infrastructure touches this region significantly.
This sector is almost entirely invisible in conventional business directories. Most farriers, livery yards and small equestrian businesses operate without websites, relying on word-of-mouth, local Facebook groups and equestrian networks. WB-REI is actively mapping this sector as part of its core research programme.
Farriers, livery yards, riding schools, studs, saddlers, equine suppliers
Rural Tourism & Agritourism
The visitor economy here is driven by landscape, craft and food — not theme parks.
Rural tourism in the Welsh Borders is characterised by destination businesses — places people specifically travel to. A pottery with workshop experiences. A forge offering half-day forging sessions. A lavender farm open for a few months each year. A distillery with tasting rooms. These are not incidental tourism businesses — they are the reason people visit.
Agritourism is growing across all five counties, driven partly by farm diversification pressure and partly by genuine visitor demand for authentic rural experiences. Glamping, farm stays, open farm days and harvest experiences have proliferated — with varying levels of digital sophistication.
The Herefordshire Rural Tourism Grant has specifically supported visitor experience improvement and accessibility investment. Shropshire's Destination Development Programme, funded through UKSPF, is actively building visitor economy infrastructure and evidence base.
Farm stays, forging experiences, pottery workshops, distillery tours, lavender farms, glamping
Heritage Craft & Traditional Trades
Trades that predate the industrial revolution — and are finding new relevance.
Dry stone walling, hurdle making, coppicing, horsehair weaving, hedge laying, thatching, lime plastering — the Welsh Borders retains a higher concentration of traditional trade practitioners than most regions of England and Wales. Some are sole traders. Others run apprenticeship programmes. A few have found national audiences through social media and craft revival interest.
These businesses are fragile in the conventional sense — dependent on individual practitioners, often without succession plans — but they represent irreplaceable rural knowledge. WB-REI treats them as a priority research and documentation category.
The Herefordshire Rural Hub and equivalent Welsh rural support organisations have shown increasing interest in traditional trades as part of a broader rural resilience agenda. Heritage craft is also intersecting with the growing interest in sustainable building materials and land management techniques.
Dry stone wallers, hurdle makers, coppice workers, thatchers, lime plasterers
Creative Industry & Maker Spaces
Converted mills, shared studios and urban-rural maker hubs are redefining where creative work happens.
Across the region — but particularly in Shropshire and Herefordshire — there is a growing number of converted industrial and agricultural buildings hosting clusters of independent creative businesses. Ceramics, textiles, printmaking, furniture design, photography and digital creative work sit alongside traditional craft in these shared spaces.
Shropshire's Co-Work Hub pilot at Shrewsbury Flaxmill (launching 2026) is the most visible example of a trend that has been developing organically for several years: the migration of creative and freelance workers away from city centres into market town and rural settings, enabled by improved broadband and shifting work culture.
These clusters have real economic value — not just as creative output, but as destination attractions, community anchors and training environments. They are often under-resourced digitally, presenting a significant visibility opportunity.
Maker spaces, shared studios, printmakers, textile artists, digital creatives