Not only do others gain when you help out in your community, there is a growing body of evidence that community involvement can benefit your physical and mental well-being too.
'Community’ is at the heart of everything we do.
The involvement and unerring support of our community (members, volunteers, staff, customers and suppliers) allow The Community Farm live up to its name.There are many ways you can get involved with The Community Farm, through events, learning experiences, volunteering , membership or even simply ordering your food from us.
So, go on, “get on our land”!
How we started out
In November 2010, The Community Farm launched its community share offer, inviting members of the public to invest in the farm. By the end of March 2011, 409 people had invested an incredible £126,000, helping make The Community Farm a reality. Five years on more than 500 local people now share ownership of the farm and have a say in how it is run.
What we do
The profits from our box scheme are used to provide learning experiences for local children, adults and vulnerable people. Our aim is to help people develop a better understanding of where their food comes from, to reconnect with the land on which their food is grown, and learn more about sustainable farming.
We believe the future of food and farming is an exciting prospect. If we can involve the community and enable local people to buy fresh organic produce whilst being directly linked to the place in which it grows, then future generations may have a greater respect for food and what it takes to grow it.
Positive involvement
In Britain, an estimated 15 million people volunteer on a regular basis.
We think the best way to learn anything is to get your hands dirty. This is why we provide plenty of opportunities for people to get involved. We help people to discover where and how their food is grown, and to see how we can all benefit from eating locally sourced, organic food.
Last year we began a programme with the Bristol Drugs Project and the Soil Association offering year-long organic traineeships. These provide an opportunity for people to learn new skills for the horticultural industry, (where there is currently a big skills gap) and learn new skills to get back into employment.
We also provide hands-on experience of organic farming through:
This article is part of our Do 15 series.
