Growing Communities Project
On 31st August we held our Open Day to launch the “Growing Communities” project. This project is being funded by the National Lottery. After 18 months of proposals and clarifications, we were finally awarded a three year grant in April of this year. This funding has allowed us to employ our first two part time staff ever. So after a few months of going through recruitment and orientation, we are now up and running and rearing to go.
We are expanding our volunteer sessions, inviting more schools onto the farm, and engaging with corporates to come to the farm. Additionally, we are building our membership base. All of this is helping more people to engage with the beautiful farmland and the bounty that the trees are now producing. As more people with different skills get involved, it expands what we are able to do. Furthermore, it expands what we can learn from each other.
The grant is also providing funding for our wellbeing team, who are independent contractors, to run their programme. This includes 3 nature care courses a year, monthly wellbeing walks, and 6 Green Memory Cafes as year. Additionally, there are taster sessions for frontline staff.
About a hundred people attended the launch day. Those who came were all very intentional in visiting us. This resulted in many good conversations, contacts and people deciding to get involved with FarmEco. Most importantly, we all had a great day with taster sessions for forest bathing, apple pressing, bio blitz as well as farm tours and activities for children.
First50 campaign
As a Community Benefit Society, we are owned by our members. Membership is open to anyone who would like to get involved with FarmEco, whether supporting us from afar, attending wellness events or getting stuck in with volunteering.
Our membership offering is a work in progress, but we plan to hold several social events at the farm each year. Members can help guide what they would like the farm to become. The contribution of £5/month (or £50/year) per person will help us to become less reliant on grant funding going forwards.
We are offering a free FarmEco cap to anyone signing up before the end of October. We are hoping to get up to 50 members as a first target. Members will be invited to an autumn evening sitting around the fire pit, cooking pizzas in our outdoor oven, and sipping cider or herbal teas. Join up and join in!
Honesty Hut
One of our new initiatives which is working well is the honesty hut. We started by putting out a few vegetables that the home education group had grown in the community garden. There was great excitement when we received our first 50p payment!
As the fruit harvest season arrived, we started adding to it and found that sales increased. We hope that it will become a local hub that people living nearby or visiting the various businesses, gym and cafe will use to buy their local, seasonal fruit. Improving local food security and access to real, nutritious food is something I am passionate about.
This is another project in development and we are not at the farm every day to restock, so it is on the rustic side at present. I can recommend Tuesday afternoons and Wednesdays as the best time to visit. Do come and buy some produce; you will find varieties that other shops don’t sell. We currently have merryweather damsons, various apples, quinces, hazelnuts, sea buckthorn available.