In the deepest depths of last winter, while much of the life on The Farm was hibernating, many of you will know that we heard from our friends at the Mendip Hills Area for Outstanding Natural Beauty that we had been successful in securing funding through the Farming in Protected Landscapes DEFRA fund to support us in a two-year project to reach out to wider communities than we could otherwise.
This funding has secured our seasonal events programme, and allowed us to develop our work with five community partner organisations. One of these community partners is Aid Box Community (ABC), who have brought groups of around 12 Asylum Seekers and Refugees out to The Farm across six summer and autumn sessions. Whilst here they have tended to our crops and connected with their new homeland, met each other and some of our wider community and gained respite from difficult and often highly restricted inner city lives.
Many participants have commented that coming to The Farm connected them with memories of previous homes that have had to be left behind and, as such, it has been an important part of their settling here. It has been such a great pleasure to welcome and get to know these groups of hardworking and fascinating people, alongside the ever-committed and talented ABC volunteers, and together care for crops and community, and harvest and cook up a feast to share.
ABC says:
We’ve had six nourishing trips to The Community Farm with 32 adults and 11 children, who enjoyed spending time in the hills of Chew Magna. The feedback we get is always incredible, highlighting the important need for these spaces in nature. A HUGE thank you to Emmy, Ellie, and Daisy at The Community Farm for welcoming us with warmth and love. And a thank you to our wonderful volunteers.♥️
Participants said:
"Straight away I felt happy when we arrived at nature. It reminded me of being back home."
"What beautiful day on The Community Farm, which inspired all our children, made them creative, learn to work as team, touch the real life of nature, and learn the value of nature."
“I got the opportunity to learn how to sow seeds in the soil."
"We connected with the natural beauty of The Farm and harvested organic vegetables we then ate for lunch, including leeks, cucumbers, onions and more."
"It has been a great experience for me to see how the food we eat every day grows and how much effort people put into it. The farm life is like a whole different world on its own. Also, the sitting room (roundhouse) made me feel very emotional. Because I likened it to the village houses where my parents were born and raised. It was so amazing for me. I met new lovely people in there, so I left very happy from The Community Farm."
If you are interested in ABC's work you can find out more here. Like us, they are also always on the look out for wonderful volunteers to help them to keep up their good work. Find out more here.
