Shropshire farm's half-term fun raises £3,000 for hearts and minds campaign
An organic family farm is celebrating a successful half term of activities which saw £3,000 raised for its positive action programme.
Over the half term holiday, Fordhall Organic Farm near Market Drayton invited adventurers to hunt out the perfect pumpkin ready for Halloween, and in doing so raised over £3,000 towards its 'Appeal for Change'.
The event, which ran through half term and also included a search for Pippa the Pipistrelle bat in a playful trail around the farm, was carefully planned and ticketed to remain Covid-secure.
The whole team was thrilled by the huge response to the events from the Shropshire community.
Fordhall Farm Community Land Initiative manager Charlotte Hollins said: “Despite the challenging weather it was wonderful to see families enjoying quality time together, making memories and embracing all aspects of Fordhall and, most importantly, enjoying the natural world around them.
"This year’s event has raised funds towards our ‘Appeal for Change’ – an initiative to restore hearts, minds and soil through our projects at Fordhall Organic Farm. We strongly believe that by building these connections and showing compassion to life both above and below the soil, we can all help create a ‘better future’.
"We were so pleased that so many people chose to ‘support local’ and celebrate the Halloween season at Fordhall this half term – thank you to you all.
“We have now raised over £3,000 for our Appeal for Change – these funds will be used to support projects designed to tackle issues created by the ongoing pandemic and climate change. They will also ensure our farm trails remain free to access for our local community.”
The farm shop and farm trails (including the seasonal Pippa’s Trail activity) will remain open and free to access throughout the next period of lockdown.
To learn more about the work at Fordhall Farm or the Appeal for Change, contact project@fordhallfarm.com.
Charlotte's brother Ben, Fordhall's tenant farmer, was last month declared a winner in the British Farming Awards.
Ben was the gold winner in the Diversification Innovator of the Year – Large category, for the catering business he has grown alongside his responsibilities on the farm.
