Having recently embarked on our fifth year of trading, we are as determined as ever to make The Community Farm a great success.
Over the winter months we have been reviewing how we operate and making ourselves more financially secure.
This year, we will be growing on fewer acres and focusing on crops that we know we can grow well (and profitably). This means a shift to a more 'market garden’ style: more hands-on and rewarding for trainees and volunteers, and better quality for our customers. Small is indeed beautiful!Along with making some staff changes, we have secured financial support and written a new business plan with clear priorities for 2015.
As ever, we want to involve you, our community, in all that we do; be it through buying a box, volunteering or simply keeping in touch with what we do.
Our focus for 2015
This year our priorities will be to:- Sell more organic boxes
- Build soil fertility
- Streamline our internal systems
- Improve the look and feel of our field areas
- Treasure our regular volunteers and trainees
- Involve our community through school visits, corporate volunteering and Community Farmer Days
- Find ways of building cooperative partnerships that can strengthen the viability of local food production.
Appeal for financial support
Thanks to incredible generosity from people who share our aims, we have secured £62k (of £100k aimed for), which gives us a safe basis for starting our fifth year of trading.
If you know anyone who might be able to support us financially, please do pass on information about The Community Farm and our appeal.Click here for details of our appeal.
Key staff changes
Angela Raffle will be taking over from Dave Hunter as Chair of the Board. Angela has been one of our Board members since The Farm began. She is also a founder member of Sustainable Redland and a director of Transition Bristol. Dave, who has served five years at the helm, will continue as a Board member. A huge thank you to Dave for all your hard work, and welcome to Angela.John English is now our Head Grower. John first joined as a volunteer in 2010, then undertook a Soil Association Organic Apprenticeship with us before becoming a permanent employee.
Ped Asgarian will continue to lead the commercial side of the business including organic boxes, wholesale and market trading.
