Last month saw some great work happening on the farm. Our lambing is now over and calving is nearly at an end – time to give a massive shout-out to our amazing Farm Manager Charlotte who has worked night and day over the past few months to ensure all our animals, young and old, are brilliantly cared for during this especially busy time. Â
We welcomed a wonderful group of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking young people from Hillingdon Virtual School to the farm at the start of April. They worked incredibly hard and brought a huge amount of joy to the farm – and had extraordinary energy despite many of them observing the Ramadan fast. It was truly inspiring to be part of their week on the farm.
After a well-deserved week off for the team over Easter, we were delighted to welcome some children from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Virtual School to the farm – while the group was younger than we normally have on the farm, and were mostly in Year 5, they showed that their age was no barrier as they worked incredibly hard, whether wood-chopping, building fences or cooking up a storm in the kitchen.Â
For the final week in April, we hosted a group from Oasis Academy Shirley Park, who really impressed us with their energy and enthusiasm on the farm. We were also joined for the day by a brilliant volunteer group from our friends at Campbell Lutyens, who did an extraordinary amount of work clearing out the area around our pond, leaving it looking absolutely beautiful. Â
As spring turns to summer, we want to thank our brilliant team of garden volunteers who are on a mission to make our beautiful gardens the best that they can be. It’s no small task, and we are incredibly grateful to them for their commitment and hard work. It makes all the difference.Â
We are very excited to be hosting our first Open Day at Lewes on Saturday 10th June – a chance for the community to come and see the farm, meet some of the team, and learn more about what we do – as well as enjoying some delicious food and (hopefully!) glorious sunshine! Please do sign up if you would be keen to come along on the day.
One final sad note – our beloved goat Mercury, who has been a stalwart at the farm since we opened, has sadly passed away. Mercury was incredibly popular both with visiting young people and all of us here at the farm, and will be greatly missed.