City Farms across the UK, from Bath to Spitalfields, will be taking part in the first ever City Farm Day on Thursday, 25th March 2021.
There are more than 50 City Farms across the UK. Over the last five decades they have played an important role in connecting communities to farming and welcoming visitors.
Life changing opportunities
City Farms have provided life-changing opportunities for people suffering from mental health challenges, such as depression or loneliness. They have also given people the chance to develop new skills to help get them back into work. This includes working with animals, helping with growing fruit and veg or running cafes.
Bringing communities together
City Farm Day is designed to celebrate the role that urban, social and community focused farms play in connecting people to farming and bringing communities together.
The role of many City Farms has come to the fore since the first lockdown in March 2020. They have collectively been supporting thousands of volunteers, cooking and distributing meals to vulnerable members of the local community and connecting people to life on the Farm.
Bath City Farm
Used its training kitchen to cook thousands of meals for vulnerable people across the city. The food was delivered by local volunteers to help make sure that those in need had healthy and nutritious food. The Farm also ran a weekly Facebook Live animal feeding every Saturday morning watched by thousands.
Gorgie City Farm, Edinburgh
Became a real community hub, working with other charities based in the Scottish capital such as Big Hearts, to help deliver much needed food to hundreds of families in need.
St Werburghs in Bristol
Ran campaigns to get people growing their own produce. They distributed 1,000 Garden in a Box packages and 120 Windowsill Warrior and Home Baking Hero Kits to local families. The Farm also worked with the Coexist Community Kitchen by supplying more than 50 trays of fresh produce to turn into nutritious meals for 100 families a week.
Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham
Cooked hundreds of meals for local organisations, including Highwood House Homeless Hostel, and plants and produce were donated to a local residential home for older people.
Swansea Community Farm
Delivered weekly food parcels (containing staples, surplus food from a local supermarket, salads, fruits and vegetables grown on the farm and eggs laid by the ducks and hens) to 50 people in the local community struggling with food poverty, health issues or shielding, for more than eight months.
Tam O Shanter Urban Farm on the Wirral
Ran its Furry food bank project, working with other local charities. Local people could drop off any spare vegetables and fruits, pet food or bird seed at the Farm, where it was sorted and distributed to the charity partners who then made sure that it got to those in need.
The history of the City Farm
The first City Farm was set up in 1972 in London. The movement has steadily grown over the last 50 years. City Farm’s vary in size from a small football pitch to the size of a medium family farm.
Find out more
Visitors, supporters and volunteers will be able to share what City Farms mean to them. Add your experiences using the hashtag #cityfarmday on social media.
For more information about City Farm Day visit: www.farmgarden.org.uk/events/city-farms-day-virtual
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