Growing Places Winter 2015

Growing Places Members’ magazine, Winter 2015

• Consultation on our future direction • Buy a seed, grow a community - FCFCG Christmas Appeal

• Remarkable restoration at Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

• Trustees’ financial responsibilities

Inside this issue

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elcome to the Winter issue of Growing Places 2015. We know it’s been a tough year for many of you - both a financial struggle and a physically challenging time for those whose sites have been damaged in the recent floods. We’d like to take this opportunitiy to wish all our members a very happy festive season and a peaceful start to the new year.

We’re very pleased to report that our new website has gone live. The website is an essential tool in helping us to promote and support community growing throughout the UK to government, funders and policy makers. We hope it will be a useful tool to support you too.

A key new feature of the website is a member profile

Contents Consultation on our future direction News

facility allowing you to upload images, news and events for your project. In January, we’ll send details of how to log in to amend details held on our database and published on the website, and access premium resources for free.

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Cae Tan CSA update

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Belville Community Garden, Inverclyde

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Bee Creative at Swansea Community Farm

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Restoration at RBGE Edinburgh

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Members news

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Events and networking

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www.farmgarden.org.uk

Management

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We are always very happy to hear from you.

Resources

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Please send your news or any other items for the next issue to: diane@farmgarden.org.uk

Funding and other opportunities

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Member services and FCFCG contact details

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New members

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elcome to all of our new members who have joined since last issue.

Northern England • A Space 2 Grow Monkwearmouth Community Garden • Clayton Brook Grow to Share • Fylde and Wyre Incredible Edibles • GrOwING WILD • Outdoor Wild Learning Scheme OWLS • Plot 44

London • Sidcup Garden Project • Tom’s Farm

South East and Eastern England • MK Food Revolution • North Walsham Food Garden Page

South West England • • • •

Heads Up Healing Garden Street Goat Bristol Sustainable Wells The Happy Hut Community Group

The Midlands • Beeston Community Growers

Wales • Dfhadh • Grow Cardiff • Cilybebyll Allotment Society • Llanishen Fach Primary School Allotment • St Paul’s Family Centre Allotment Garden

Scotland • Breezy Croft • Calders Green Shoots • Castle Court Community Garden

• Cornfields Scotland Ltd • Craigie’s Education and Environment Project • Cranhill Development Trust • Granton Community Gardeners • Green Routes • Greener Kemnay • New Roots • Organic Growers of Fairlie • Skene Walled Garden Project • Strathpeffer Community Park • The Happy Club • Urban Warriors Falkirk

News

Your Federation needs you - consultation on our future direction

Buy a seed, grow a community FCFCG Christmas Appeal

To mark our 35th anniversary we launched our first ever Christmas appeal on 1st December (international Giving Tuesday)

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t will come as no surprise to any of you that money is tight, locally and nationally. We are aware of several members who are struggling to make ends meet, and it is frustrating that we don’t have the money to help people through difficult times. The Federation itself is suffering from significantly reduced income like many of our members.

There are, however, positive discussions underway about the future direction of the movement and the Federation. Of these, the headline considerations are: • Devolution and options for future governance in the four countries of the UK, and how this might relate to parallel work in the Republic of Ireland.

• How we can work more closely with members on the ground (in city regions for example) to deliver new and existing services • Can we identify specific branded programmes to raise the profile of the movement? (eg accredited training schemes) • Should we explore more mergers and incorporations into the Fed to streamline

delivery and avoid duplication?

For example, we have agreed to continue the work of the Community Composting Network.

• How can we best work with emerging networks like care farming and social farming to ensure our members’ work is recognised?

• And of course, what shape should the Federation’s trustee and staff team take to best meet future needs?

There are no easy solutions but it is clear that change is both needed and inevitable. We plan to embrace this positively.

To this end, we will be setting up a series of simple consultation sessions with members in the coming months. These are likely to be by teleconference or webinar, but we may ask you to take part in some quick online surveys as well. You can send in your thoughts now if you prefer.

Further details will follow shortly – we do hope you’ll take the chance to engage with us to help shape our future direction.

Please contact Jeremy Iles, CEO for further information. jeremy@farmgarden.org.uk

Kings Seeds have created three discount seed collections for the appeal: • The Stocking Filler Collection – a small saladbased collection of seed packs, normally £9.25 but available for just £5.

• The Festive Flavour Collection – A herb collection, which would normally cost £14.25, but is on offer at £8.

• The Sleigh Full Of Veg Collection – A bumper crop of vegetables and salad items that would usually cost £25.25, but is on offer at £15.

FCFCG will receive 20% of the cost of orders placed for these collections. Please help us by publicising the appeal amongst your networks.

And don’t forget that as a member you can receive a 45% discount on your own seed orders over £35 from King Seeds.

Visit the website for more information and details of other benefits for FCFCG members. www.farmgarden.org.uk/news/ buy-seed-christmas-appeal Page

News

Celebrating 10 years in Scotland

Tyfu Pobl programme in Wales The Tyfu Pobl programme supporting community growing in Wales has come to a close after four years, during which time the team did great work representing and advocating for the movement to government and landowners and providing events, advice and training.

The programme concluded with the launch of the new Welsh Community Growing Guide at the Welsh Assembly.

We’re very happy to have celebrated our 10th anniversary of working in Scotland at the Scottish Parliament. Thank you to Sarah Boyack MSP for sponsoring our event, and all the great projects and organisations that came along. We asked people to give their vision of community growing in Scotland over the next 10 years.

Helen Pank, who managed FCFCG in Scotland for 10 years has recently left to train to be a midwife - we wish her the best of luck. Roz Corbett has taken over and is being assisted

by Ally Hurcikova, Scotland Development Officer.

A smaller FCFCG Wales team continues in place and we are actively looking for funding to implement new programmes to extend and continue the success of Tyfu Pobl.

Currently, the team is putting together a new guidance document for the Welsh Government aimed at improving community access to growing spaces in Wales and they would like to hear your thoughts and opinions.

The team have been very busy this autumn. In addition to the 10th anniversary celebrations, they also held a brilliant get together for all the Scottish fieldworkers at Perth Walled Garden. The day included making a pot of soup outside using produce from the garden, eating lots of apples, and learning about tweeting.

We have appointed new fieldworkers in the following regions who can support projects local to them: • South Ayshire & Dumfries and Galloway • Scottish Borders • Glasgow and surrounding areas, • Edinburgh and surrounding areas • Dundee • Fife • The Highlands.

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So, if you’re looking for support for your community growing project in any of these areas, please get in touch.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for inspiration and ideas, rather than specific support or advice, groups in Scotland can now apply for a travel bursary of up to £750 to visit other projects on a peer to peer learning exchange. For further details contact our Scotland team. scotland@farmgarden.org.uk

The document is being produced in response to The Welsh Government’s Paper ‘Improving the availability of allotments and community gardens’ published in July 2014, which highlighted the need for up to date guidance to help Welsh communities benefit from increased growing opportunities.

There have been three consultation events to assist in this process but the team would welcome further comments. For more information contact: louise@farmgarden.org.uk

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Update from CLAS UK Current funding for the Community Land Advisory Service in England runs out at the end of March, so if you have any questions about accessing land, need your lease sorting out, or an access route formalising, you’ve got 3 months left of free advice! Please contact: rebecca@ communitylandadvice.org.uk CLAS Cymru is still going strong and has funding for another few years. The team have been working hard to get councils to adopt best practice with regards to communities taking on council land for food growing. As a result, Monmouthshire Council has developed a formal policy which

encourages community growing on council land which is less than 0.25 acres in size. They have also created a Community Growing Licence. It is hoped these will be adopted by other councils as they can drastically reduce the time taken to access land, and so groups can get growing quicker!

In Scotland a joint event with the Scottish Government has just taken place. ‘An Introduction to the Community Empowerment Act’ to train council officers in the transfer of assets into community management. www.communitylandadvice. org.uk

Growing Together news As reported in previous issues, Growing Together is a new partnership project, led by FCFCG, working to bring financial sustainability to the UK’s community growing groups.

To date the Growing Together team of Advisors have started to work with over 40 individual projects on a one to one basis. Support and advice is also available through training opportunities, visits to other projects and other events.

This autumn there has been a full programme of training events throughout the UK including: Crowdfunding; Enterprising ideas, Your impact and generating income; and Generating income from cider making and other fruit based products; Community Supported Agriculture; and

Generating income from social services and the NHS.

social enterprises and community supported agriculture projects.

Many of these events can be replicated across the UK, so please get in touch if you would like see this kind of event in your area.

The Growing Together website is now live. Please make sure to visit for regular updates on forthcoming events and information about other projects undertaking innovative and successful income generation ideas, as well as resources and tips on subjects such as crowdfunding and how to work with businesses more successfully.

Upcoming events planned for the new year include topics such as Business planning, Aquaponics, Pitching your ideas to the business community, Social enterprise ideas and Buying and maintaining land, as well as site visits to community based

www.growingtogether.community Page

Members

New ‘Street Goat’ project planned for Bristol New FCFCG member Street Goat is an innovative urban farming project that plans to use marginal pieces of land around Bristol, land on a steep slope or heavily overgrown, to bring communities together to collectively keep dairy goats. The goats will have a whole community caring for them supported by experienced farmers. The group caring for the goats will share the costs, responsibilities and the milk!

The project has launched a crowdfunding appeal to fund the launch of their first site in Bristol! Have a look at their fun crowdfunding film here: www. crowdfunder.co.uk/street-goat This will be an example of a Community Supported Grazing

Discount offer on garden buildings

(CSG) - an arrangement where local groups, landowners and other stakeholders contribute to keeping grazing animals. There are various models in use and many have structures and practices in common with Community Supported Agriculture. The Grazing Animals Project is a source of information about conservation grazing. www. grazinganimalsproject.org.uk The Community Land Advisory Service have written a Community Supported Grazing Factsheet. http://en.communitylandadvice. org.uk/en/wl/resource/communitysupported-grazing We wish Street Goat the very best of luck getting their project off - or rather on - the ground.

War on Waste - join the campaign We’re partnering with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Crowdfunder to promote Hugh’s War on Waste, a campaign to change the way the nation thinks about waste. FCFCG members planning projects aimed at reducing food or other waste are invited to join the campaign by setting up crowdfunding campaigns on a dedicated War on Waste Crowdfunder page.

will also widely promote the campaign through its marketing channels.

Crowdfunder will support War on Waste crowdfunding appeals by giving feedback on projects before they go live and providing fundraising packs and guides on how to set up an appeal. It

Anyone wanting advice or tips on crowdfunding can contact the Growing Together advisor for their region. www.growingtogether. community

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The page has already seen some successfully funded projects. Just Add Apples in Worcestershire raised £835 for a cider making cart that can be towed round the country to juice apples from orchards where the fruit goes to waste. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ campaign/hughs-war-on-waste

Growing Together has teamed up with garden building suppliers GBC Group to provide discounts of up to 50% on garden buildings such as offices, greenhouses, polytunnels and sheds to community growing groups.

Groups will be required to talk through their needs with a GBC representative to find out what specific products and discounts are available.

This offer is available to community growing groups in England, Scotland and Wales who make an enquiry through Growing Together (Alison Sheffield). Unfortunately, the offer is not currently available in Northern Ireland.

There are no requirements on groups who receive a discount.

Groups can also request a ‘fitter’ to help them install the building – this is subject to staff availability.

Enquiries should be made to Alison Sheffield, Growing Together Business Partnerships Co-ordinator in the first instance. alison@farmgarden.org.uk Tel. 07752 542 853 For more information about products visit the GBC Group website. www.gbcgroup.co.uk

Members

Cae Tân CSA L

ast September, we ran a feature on Cae Tân Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a new enterprise on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, preparing to launch its produce share to the community. A year later the project is going from strength to strength.

Cae Tân works with hard to reach groups, local schools and a growing pool of volunteers.

They now supply 50 households in the area with weekly produce and have recently participated in a successful crowdfunding campaign to help expand their reach to 100 households. The project has featured on Countryfile and BBC Radio Wales and represented CSAs at the recent launch of the Wales Community Growing Resource Pack in the Senedd.

Cae Tân’s work with local schools includes a year long ‘grow your own pizza’ project where a class grows all the ingredients for their own pizzas: tomatoes, onions, wheat and herbs. They grind their own wheat to make flour and the whole projects is rounded off with a harvest pizza fest, where pupils bake pizzas in a mobile wood-fired oven for the whole school. There are future plans to set up school food co-ops.

The CSA is already changing habits and attitudes in the people and volunteers who buy from and work with the project. Tom O’Kane, head grower, said: “The main feedback we get from people is that they really enjoy knowing where their food comes from – they really value it, they’ve got an attachment to and

understanding of it. A lot of them say they’ve got no food waste any more because they value it in a different way.”

There are several factors behind the project’s success, including collaboration and building great local relationships and networks.

Cae Tân is a member of a cooperative called Gower Power, which empowers small scale local food ownership and owns the 4 acre site where the CSA operates. It is also a member of the Swansea Community Growing Network which promotes community growing in Swansea.

Membership of these organisations has raised their profile, putting them on the local food map in Swansea and surrounding areas. This has led to a higher uptake of members with more people talking about local food, and also helped with the crowdfunding campaign, which Gower Power Community Cooperative ran. Tom said: “My main tip for crowdfunding would be to have a project that people can really get behind. It’s a lot of work - we underestimated how much - and you really need a big bunch of motivated people.”

The money raised from the campaign will be split between a

number of community based food initiatives, including Cae Tân and a neighbouring sheepshare project.

Funds will go toward engaging more people in these projects and allowing more people to access the land.

Tom believes that a core element of the CSA’s fast progression is down to being grower-led. Tom is a biodynamic horticulturalist with over 15 years’ experience in a diverse range of land based projects. He’s been joined by a second grower Lizzie Walshall.

Tom said: “Grower led CSA’s do tend to evolve more quickly than community-led ones.

Myself and Lizzie can make the day-to-day decisions and drive things forward, rather than a group having to sit down and debate everything. We are very lucky to be fully supported by some fantastic volunteers and directors.”

For more information about Cae Tân CSA visit: www.gowerpower. coop/caetan If you’re interested in getting involved with the UK CSA network please visit their website www. communitysupportedagriculture. org.uk - or contact Louise at louise@farmgarden.org.uk if you’d like to get involved with the Wales CSA network.

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Members

Vegetable soup packs a hit at food bank

Providing fresh produce for food banks is a way of getting healthier food to people in need, but sometimes people need guidance in how to prepare and cook it to make the most of the supplies.

The team at Belville Community Garden in Inverclyde, Scotland came up with the idea of preparing vegetable broth packs for their local food bank, complete with a recipe, to get people cooking. The scheme was funded by a £500 grant from the Sainsbury’s Community Grant Fund.

First, the garden constructed raised beds to grow the vegetables in, working with boys from Inverclyde Academy and the prison service. The beds were then constructed from cobble sets recycled from a road into the high rise flats that originally stood on the garden site.

Jamie Black, Gateside Prison’s bricklaying instructor helped the Inverclyde boys lay the foundations. A group of prisoners the visited the project to create the raised beds from the cobbles.

The boys filled the beds with compost and vegetables grown earlier in the season by Parklea Branching Out, which helps local people with support needs develop their potential.

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Janet Colston, the Belville Community Garden officer, said: “We used the cobble sets, as wood planters tend to get destroyed or burnt in this area – we wanted something sustainable. Parklea grew the plants for us in their greenhouses until they were ready to plant out in June – we had carrots, leeks, spring onions, celeriac, fennel and other root vegetables.”

The boys from Inverclyde returned in August to harvest some of the produce and make up parcels for people in the food bank.

Nutritionist Lindsay Jay from Naturally Inside Out helped with the harvest and created the simple to follow recipe. The vegetables were bagged up into family-sized packages that included some stock cubes and a recipe for broth, so that people knew how to turn their veggies into a filling and healthy meal.

Janet said: “The feedback from the food bank was excellent – they said people really enjoyed having something different and found it very easy because it was all pre-weighed and ready to cook.”

The Inverclyde boys received a John Muir Award as part of their volunteering efforts in the community. The boys have

continued to progress with the second level of the John Muir Award.

The Belville Community Garden, was funded by the Big Lottery and created on a brown-field site left after high-rise flats were demolished. The construction project was led by River Clyde Homes, who worked in partnership with Inverclyde Community Development Trust to deliver employability training.

A shipping container forms the garden’s central hub, with individual and community planters available to local people, and areas for outdoor seating and schools. www.belvillecommunitygarden. co.uk www.parkleaassociation.org.uk www.naturallyinsideout.com/blog www.johnmuirtrust.org/john-muiraward

Members

‘Bee’ Creative Competition at Swansea Community Farm

Awards for Green Futures

of bees, the plant life, weather conditions, altitudes and tastes in each country” explained Child and Youth Project Officer, Alyson Williams.

Swansea Community Farm is asking the local community to get creative and come up with decorative designs for their newly built bee hive. The competition is part of an ongoing project aimed at raising awareness of bees and their importance in our food chain. It has been organised by the Farm’s Child and Youth team and will raise funds towards the Farm’s ‘Save our Farm’ Appeal.

“Our younger volunteers have been taking part in a joint bee project, funded by Erasmus+, with volunteers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The aim of the project is to compare the life

In June this year, a number of the farm’s child and youth volunteers visited Slovakia to share good practice in bee keeping. They also helped create information boards on bees to be displayed in local schools in Slovakia. Next year as part of the end of project analysis, the volunteers will be flying to Prague to compare results of the three countries.

“We would love everyone to get creative and come up with some inspirational ideas to decorate our new bee hive. We are also looking for a local artist who can help us transfer the winning designs onto our beehive, so if you fancy having your artwork seen in Wales, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and beyond then please get in touch” added Alyson. www.swanseacommunityfarm. org.uk

Free tree packs for Does your project community groups boast a spectacular As part of their ‘I Dig Trees’ build? campaign, TCV have over 2,000 FREE tree packs (each with 50 native trees) for distribution to community groups.

Register your community group to receive a free tree planting pack. You can choose from four different packs with varieties suitable for different types of site. www.tcv.org.uk/community/idig-trees

Many of you have created amazing spaces and structures on your sites using limited resources and innovative or unusual methods. Here’s a chance to celebrate your success and raise the profile of your project. The team behind a new BBC2 series are looking to celebrate Britain’s Most Spectacular Backyard Builds. makers@rdftelevision.com

The Green Futures project in Grimsby is having a fruitful year, with two local awards recognising the contribution made by the project and its volunteers to the community.

Dan Auton, a volunteer at the project and a residential student at Linkage College for people with learning disabilities, recently won the Green Community category of the inaugural Viking FM Future Stars Awards. The award was for a young person who looks after the environment in their area and who inspires others to care about the environment too. Green Futures also won the Business category of the Grimsby Telegraph’s Pride in the Community award in November.

The project is a successful social enterprise and community garden which runs a popular veg box scheme and aims to reduce the impact of local unemployment by offering volunteering opportunities and work placements. The site includes four polytunnels and a heritage orchard and the project often experiments with different ways of growing food such as keyhole growing beds and aquaponics. www.greenfuturesgrimsby. co.uk

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Members

Remarkable restoration at Royal Botan C

ommunity groups that grow vegetables with the Edible Gardening Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) are about to gain access to what may be the UK’s most distinguished community garden building.

The Botanic Cottage is a forgotten 18th century house that formed a key part of the RBGE’s history.

Once earmarked for demolition, it has been transferred across the city and meticulously rebuilt.

It is now simultaneously the oldest and newest building in the gardens and will act as a community and education centre.

The Botanic Cottage started life in 1765 at the RBGE’s old site on Leith Walk. It acted as the main entrance to the gardens for both staff and visitors, a home for the head gardeners and a teaching classroom for botany students. Its resurrection this year, 250 years after it first opened its doors, will bring it full circle, returning it to life as a learning centre for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Below: Professor John Hope - inspirational teacher of botany and the motivational force behind the buidling of the Botanic Cottage

Sutherland Forsyth, community engagement co-ordinator for the Botanic Cottage said: “The Botanic Cottage will be a valuable resource for thousands of people every year who will be able to use its spaces to discover more about the world, make connections between the past and present, be inspired by nature and see how they can lead more sustainable lives.

original purpose had been entirely forgotten and it was earmarked for demolition to make way for a hotel which was to be built on the site. A group of community campaigners decided to try and capture the history of the building before it was destroyed, and uncovered a huge amount of documentation relating to the cottage. Gradually, they realised its importance.

“We want RBGE not just to be for education and scientific study but to improve the health and wellbeing of locals. We want to work with groups to run things themselves – it’s not just about us inviting groups in, it’s about making it a resource for local people.”

They discovered that the idea for the cottage came from Professor John Hope, fourth Regius Keeper of the RBGE, who decided to close down the existing small physic gardens and create a new, much larger garden on a five acre site on Leith Walk. The cottage was designed by noted architects John Adam and James Craig and a total of 1,500 students learnt about botany in its large upstairs room overlooking the garden.

The story of the Botanic Cottage’s restoration from an abandoned, vandalised shell to its former glory is a remarkable one.

Left behind in 1820 when the gardens moved from Leith Walk to their current home in Inverleith, the cottage acted first as a private dwelling and later offices, before being subjected to vandalism and arson at the start of the 21st century. By 2008 its Page 10

Professor Hope was a remarkable figure of the Scottish Enlightenment and saw botany as a way of training medical students. Sutherland Forsyth said: “Before his lectures he used to say: ‘I believe we can learn more from our senses than all the books in the world’, He thought the

Members

nic Garden, Edinburgh

18th Century plans for the garden cottage

best way to open up his student’s senses was by studying plants.

By really focusing on colour, scent and taste, it would help them pay attention to the signs displayed by their patients’ blood, skin and smell and that would help in diagnosis and treatment.”

Thanks to the efforts of the community campaigners in 2008, the cottage was saved from demolition. So began a six-year project to transfer the cottage, stone by stone, to its new home and rebuild it using traditional methods.

The original stones were carefully replaced, bound by hot lime mortar, and the walls rendered and plastered in lime outside and in. The rebuild includes hand made windows, stone floors, wooden pillars made from trees felled in the Botanic Garden years before, Scottish slates on the roof, and

The cottage in 2008 - prior to being dismantled (the bottom storey is hidden underground)

hand-crafted features throughout.

Sutherland Forsyth said: “It has been a challenge for the architects and builders as according to the planners it counts as a new build so has to meet all modern standards, but that does mean it is totally fit for the 21st century.”

With two new wings added on, housing a kitchen, large potting shed and other work rooms, the cottage will act as a hub for groups that already use the garden and for new projects including a dementia initiative and community leadership programme.

Jenny Foulkes is a fieldworker for FCFCG and also manages the Edible Gardening Project at RBGE. She said: “We have community vegetable plots that groups sign up to look after for a year. They come once a week to work on the plot, supported by volunteers,

The rebuilt and restored cottage today

and go through the whole cycle of planting, harvesting, cooking and eating. At the moment we only have a camp kitchen for cooking – when we have the cottage we’ll have a proper kitchen to use so we’ll be able to demonstrate much better how you can use produce for cooking and preserving.”

The cottage will open to community groups shortly, with an official launch in Spring 2016. The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Edible Gardening Project holds regular drop-in and advice sessions for people who want to grow their own fruit and vegetables. www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/ edinburgh/the-botanic-cottageproject www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/ ediblegardening

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Members Building the future at St Werburghs City Farm

Windmill Hill City Farm - a year of celebrations to mark 40th anniversary

Art beneath your feet

Photo credit: Andrew Dunkley © Tate 2015

St Werburgh’s City Farm in Bristol has raised nearly £400,000 to help 8,000 vulnerable children and adults by providing training in a brand new teaching and demonstration centre.

The Connection Centre will feature three teaching classrooms, a training kitchen and a covered demonstration courtyard, providing space for more than 60,000 hours of supported training every year.

A £285,539 Big Lottery Fund grant will fund a new three-year project providing activities supporting better health and wellbeing for vulnerable and disadvantaged adults in Bristol.The farm has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £27,500 to fit out the classrooms and kitchen in order to start teaching next year.

Farm director Kari Halford said: “The farm has the skills, the space and the passion to engage people in activities that support their health and well-being. What we don’t have is the facilities.

“We are offering the people of Bristol - our friends, our neighbours and our supporters - a chance to support this project and ensure a sustainable future for the Farm.”

To donate, visit: www.localgiving. com/swcityfarm Page 12

In 1976, local people came together to save a derelict piece of land in Bedminster, south Bristol, from developers. Windmill Hill City Farm (WHCF) is the oldest city farm outside London.

The farm’s annual Christmas Fair on Saturday 12 December marks the start of a year of 40th anniversary celebrations and will include a new special attraction.

Visitors can make a small donation and have their picture taken in the Fabulous Farm Photobooth to share with the world why they love the city farm!

Throughout the year the team at the farm want to involve, and to be involved in, the local community. They will be teaming up with local partners and joining community activities, as well as promoting their already popular ‘Farm Friend’ scheme. The big event will be the Summer Festival Birthday Party on 11 June. Other anniversary events include a weekend of farm-specific theatre and a permanent legacy landmark created on the farm site.

Join us all in wishing this amazing project, which has had a huge impact on green and social issues in Bristol, a very happy birthday.

Soil supplied by Spitalfields City Farm and Bankside Open Spaces Trust is currently on display in the Tate Modern as part of an artwork

by Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas.

‘Empty Lot’ has filled the Turbine Hall with 240 triangular wooden planters filled with 23 tonnes of earth dug up from different areas of London. Nothing has been planted in the soil but the planters will be lit by lamps and watered regularly. They sit on a raised platform, making it relatively easy for visitors and guerrilla gardeners to scatter seeds into the soil.

Cruzvillegas described Empty Lot as a space for hope that may get visitors thinking about their own place in the world. Since the work was unveiled in October, seedlings have already begun to sprout in the planters.

‘Empty Lot’ is on display at the Tate Modern until 3rd April 2016. www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/ tate-modern/exhibition/hyundaicommission-2015-abrahamcruzvillegas-empty-lot

We would really love to hear from you!

Please send us your news so we can include it in the next issue of Growing Places. diane@farmgarden.org.uk

Events and networking

Fancy an inspiring and informative start to the new year? The Oxford Real Farming Conference is the annual gathering of the UK sustainable food and farming movements.

This event offers a unique opportunity to experience a practical mix of on-farm advice, find out about new techniques for best practice in agroecological farming, and discuss the global food system, including the economic and trade policies that affect British farming. It attracts delegates with an interest in new agricultural models - from young farmers taking over the

family farm, to those innovating in unusual urban spaces.

FCFCG Assistant CEO Ian Egginton-Metters and Community Land Advisory Service Advisor Rebecca Marshall will be speaking with Lucy Mayer from Oxford City Farm at 1.30 pm in the Long Room on day one of the conference (6th January). They will be leading a discussion on finding solutions to the obstacles facing community food growing and agriculture in an urban regeneration context.

For full programme details and to book online go to: www.orfc.org.uk

City Harvest Festival 2015 report

This practical introduction for community growing groups interested in producing cider or other fruit-based drinks to generate income took place at Earthtrust, an environmental learning charity based near Abingdon in Oxfordshire on 1st December.

Delegates heard about all aspects of successfully producing juice or cider from their fruit crops - including using the right varieties of apples, legislation and health and safety issues, marketing effectively and selling the final product.

Organised by the London Association of Community Farms and Gardens and Capel Manor College, this great day out - where London’s city farms and community gardens showcase their educational and neighbourhood achievements - took place on September 19th in the grounds of Capel Manor College.

Now in its 17th year, the festival is always a fantastic day for all the family and a chance to meet up with the volunteers, staff and young people who work so hard to keep London’s community gardens and city farms thriving.

This year was no exception. There were some amazing animals, dazzling displays, prizewinning produce, country crafts, bees and falconry, all finishing with the traditional tug-of-war!

Growing Together training event - Fruit harvest income ideas

Speakers included representatives from other community projects as well as a commercial cider producer, a marketing expert and an Environmental Health Officer.

There were lots of tired and happy city farmers and community gardeners at the end of the day.

This year you can watch a video report of the event. There is a link on the London page of our website. www.farmgarden.org.uk/cityharvest-festival-london

This is an example of one of the Growing Together training events that could be replicated in other parts of the UK so please get in touch if you would like see this kind of event in your area. growingtogether@ farmgarden.org.uk

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Management and Resources

Trustee responsibilities: finance T

he closure of Kids Company this summer has put the financial responsibilities of charity trustees into sharp focus. This advice adapted by NCVO’s Miles Kunzli from their ‘Good Trustee Guide’ provides some practical guidance.

Financial information can seem daunting to the inexperienced or the non-financial expert; don’t let it be. As a trustee you have a duty to ask questions and take advice when you need to. Some trustees will not have previous experience of dealing with a charity’s finances. They should be given support by the treasurer or the charity’s finance officer or in another way. All trustees should either have, or be prepared to develop, basic skills in financial management. In particular, trustees should know how to: • read budgets and accounts so they know if the annual accounts properly summarise their charity’s activities and state of affairs • interpret financial reports and advise on appropriate action in response • guide professional advisers entrusted with property and financial reserves • assist and monitor fundraising activities • recognise actual or pending insolvency.

Getting meaningful information Trustees should ask for financial information to be presented in a form that they can understand (eg tables, charts and graphs) and the information should be accompanied by a written commentary. Some charities give new trustees a glossary of the terms used in their accounts.

Page 14

Key questions to ask at board meetings • Are we running a gain or a loss?

• Are key expenses under control?

• Do we have sufficient reserves?

• Do we have an investment policy (if appropriate)?

• Is cash flow adequate?

• Where are we compared to budget?

• Is our financial plan consistent with our strategic plan?

• Are the staff satisfied and productive?

• Are we filing reports on a timely basis?

• Are we fulfilling our legal obligations?

Can financial responsibilities be delegated to a treasurer, advisers, staff or volunteers?

Yes. All trustees, however, should take an active interest in the financial affairs of the charity and exercise care when appointing or supervising anyone to manage its finances. You cannot escape your financial responsibilities by delegating control and supervision of the finances to someone else; you remain responsible for the financial affairs of the charity and would share liability for any financial wrongdoing.

How will the financial management exercised by trustees be judged?

You have two principal duties when fulfilling your financial responsibilities.

1. ‘Proper care and diligence’: for example proper attention must be given to the appointment, duties and supervision of agents.

2. ‘Prudence of ordinary men and women of business in the management of their own affairs’: Trustees must satisfy themselves that the financial affairs of the charity are being properly handled in the same way that they would manage their own finances or those of someone else for whom they were morally responsible.

NCVO’s tips for financial governance • Examine your governing document. Does it give you powers to delegate financial matters?

• Do you know the terms on which individuals or committees have been delegated financial responsibility by the board?

• Are you satisfied that the charity’s financial agents are properly supervised and accountable to the board?

• Have you made sure that you know who is responsible for each aspect of your charity’s financial management?

• Have you made sure that reporting requirements have been agreed and maintained?

• Does your board need to organise any training to strengthen the financial skills of the trustees?

• Does your charity give all trustees a guide to its accounts that covers items such as designated or restricted funds, and any necessary explanations?

• Does your charity give all trustees a list of any significant assets, and any obligations attached to them? www.ncvo.org.uk/practicalsupport/governance

Management and Resources

Encouraging young people into farming The National Farmers’ Union has recently published a new title #STUDENT FARMER, a free magazine for the next generation of farmers. The pilot edition of the magazine, the schools edition, is targeted at a new demographic of 14-16 year olds, and aims to showcase farming as an innovative and interesting industry that they should consider as a possible career.

Copies of this pilot edition have been sent to all state secondary schools in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and South Somerset. A pdf version can be accessed online at: http://issuu.com/studentfarmer/ docs/schools_edition_autumn15

Farm visitor health and safety - Industry Code of Practice updated Minor updates to links and references have been made to this document, the purpose of which is to help ensure visitor health and safety by providing sensible, practical and proportionate guidance on preventing or controlling ill health at visitor attractions - including all community farms receiving visitors.

Every year millions of people visit premises where members of the public, particularly children, are encouraged to view or touch animals.

This Code of Practice has been produced by the industry and is aimed at the owners, operators and managers of such visitor premises.

Countryside Classroom FCFCG is proud to be a member of the Countryside Classroom - the largest ever partnership of organisations committed to helping children learn about food, farming and/or the natural environment.

The new Countryside Classroom website is now live. It offers a directory of support for schools that includes classroom resources and visitor locations, as well as local services and networks.

Please take a moment to visit the site and register your project as a place to visit. www.countrysideclassroom.org. uk It provides guidance, including pictures and real-life case studies and examples of practical measures that you can apply at your premises to help you comply with the law and keep visitors safe. www.visitmyfarm.org/component/k2/item/339-industry-code-ofpratice

Countryside Educations Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS) This nationally recognised farm visit accreditation scheme offers training for people in England who offer or co-ordinate farm visits for groups of school children, young people or clients with additional needs. There are also courses available for those particularly interested in care farming. www.visitmyfarm.org/cevasfarmer-training

How to plant a fruit tree really well The tree planting season will soon be with us. How you plant your fruit tree can make the difference between it surviving and thriving or being stunted or even dying.

There is a great video from Brighton Permaculture on the Permaculture Association website showing exactly how to plant a fruit tree step by step. All you need to know about planting a resilient fruit tree, the best possible way, so that it will survive and thrive for decades. www.permaculture.co.uk/ videos/how-plant-fruit-treereally-well

Community Growing Resource Pack video case studies Through the Tyfu Pobl programme, Community FCFCG Growin Resource Pack g commissioned Wales a series of video case studies to go alongside its new Community Growing Resource Pack aimed at people thinking of setting up a community garden or other urban green space.

For commun ity gardens, city farms and other community growing spac es

The videos feature Welsh groups but are relevant to anyone interested in community growing.

You can view the videos here: www.farmgarden.org.uk/ video-case-studies Page 15

Funding and other opportunities Alec Dickson Trust This trust is passionate about volunteering and about young people making a difference.

Grants of up to £500 are available for projects that involve local people and can demonstrate that through volunteering or community service they can enhance the lives of others, particularly those most marginalised by society.

Preference is given to supporting innovative projects.

Applications are invited from individuals aged 30 and under and from small groups of young people in the UK. Recipients are expected to report on how any support was used and how it helped to fulfil the aims of the project.

Application form and guidance are available to download from the website. Applications may be submitted at any time and will be considered twice a year. www.alecdicksontrust.org.uk

Biffaward Small Grants Often groups only need a small amount of money to make a difference to a local facility, be it a community building, nature reserve, cultural facility or outdoor space. The Biffaward Small Grants Scheme offers quick access to lower levels of funding to make these projects happen.

You can apply for between £250 and £10,000. Your project must not cost more than £30,000 in total and awards must be used for site-based improvements, not equipment or running costs.

Biffaward also operate other schemes for larger projects.

See the website for full criteria and application forms. www.biffa-award.org/small-grantsscheme www.biffa-award.org/main-grantsscheme

Digital fundraising NCVO have joined forces with the experts at JustGiving to create a brand new digital fundraising hub on their KnowHow website.

It’s full of great resources - tools and tips - to help you grow your charity online through social media, mobile and other digital tools. https://knowhownonprofit.org/ funding/digital-fundraising

New Care and Wellbeing Fund Big Society Capital and Macmillan Cancer Support have joined together to launch the new £12 million Care and Wellbeing Fund which aims to improve health and wellbeing in the UK with a particular focus on people living with cancer and disadvantaged groups such as those with longterm health conditions. The focus will be on prevention, early intervention and community-based solutions. The Care and Wellbeing Fund website goes live shortly. www.careandwellbeingfund.co.uk

Charles Hayward Foundation The Foundation awards grants to registered charities only. Large and small grants are available, depending on the level of income of the organisation applying, with a maximum grant amount of £50,000. Projects that are developmental or innovative are favoured. One of the Foundation’s areas of interest is the purchase of land (or reclamation of recently purchased land) to be used for nature reserves or inner city gardens, parks etc. Another area of interest is industrial heritage. www.charleshaywardfoundation. org.uk Page 16

Funding and other opportunities Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund The Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund will be giving away 85 awards of £300 over a 17-week period to local community projects across the UK and Ireland. The awards are to help support sporting or leisure activities or hobbies that are beneficial to members of the community. Entries will be judged on: • The extent to which the proposed initiative will help the local community in question • The extent of the proposed initiative’s reach • The perceived local need for such hobbies, sporting or leisure activities.

Interested groups should fill in the online form and explain, in 200 words or less, what their organisation does and why the £300 grant would be influential in carrying out their project. The final deadline for applications is 28th February 2016. www.galaxyhotchocolate.com

Henry Smith Charity The Henry Smith Charity is a large grant making charity. They make grants totalling approximately 25 million each year to up to 1,000 organisations and charities for initiatives and projects that address social inequality and economic disadvantage.

Applications can be made for revenue funding (projects, running costs) and capital expenditure (buildings, equipment).

Priority is given to work with groups experiencing social and/or economic disadvantage (people with disabilities, for example) and to work that tackles problems in areas of high deprivation

(those that fall within the bottom third of the National Indices of Deprivation). Full details and eligibility criteria on the website.

Applications may be submitted at any time.

roll out the pilot scheme in more centres in 2016, so if there’s a store near you it might be worth investigating their plans and possibly suggeting your project as a potential nominee?

www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk

www.wyevalegardencentres. co.uk

Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation accepts applications for funding for community based projects which aim to provide relief of suffering, hardship or poverty, or their direct consequences. The project must operate in the area of one of their 67 branches. Donations are normally in the range of £250 to £1,000. The application must be for capital expenditure - they cannot consider applications towards general running costs.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation grants programme supports projects in the UK which address issues in rural communities and/or areas of urban deprivation. They are interested in helping established projects working in the fields of community support, the arts, education and heritage, disability and health care. www.trusthousecharitable foundation.org.uk

www.leedsbuildingsociety.co.uk/ your-society/about-us/charitablefoundation

WREN Community Fund

Pilot community initiative launched

by Wyevale Garden Centres

WREN is a not-for-profit business that helps benefit the lives of people who live close to landfill sites by awarding grants for environmental, heritage and community projects.

Wyevale Garden Centres has launched a corporate social responsibility campaign to win over customers at two centres it has bought this year. Customers drop a bulb in a Perspex bin near the tills for one of three community or school spring makeover ideas. The bulb acts as a vote in a similar way to Waitrose’s ‘green coin’ scheme and Wyevale hopes the scheme will “cement a place in the local community” for the centres.

WREN can fund a wide range of projects under Objects D of the Landfill Communities Fund.

Funding of between £2,000 and £50,000 is available for the provision, maintenance or improvement of a public park or other public amenity in the vicinity of a landfill site.

The shortlist of nominees was drawn up by staff at the two garden centres. Wyevale plan to

www.wren.org.uk/apply/wrengrant-scheme

Remember to... look out for

our enews bulletins with more resources, funding and other opportunities Page 17

FCFCG member services

Our membership scheme O

ur membership scheme is pretty straightforward. There are three main categories: Seed, Community and Affiliate.

services. You pay a set fee which varies according to your group’s turnover.

Seed

Any organisation which runs or intends to run a community growing project and has a management committee elected from the local community.

This new category of membership is intended for small projects that are starting up.

Who can join in this category Any organisation which runs or intends to run a community growing project and has a management committee elected from the local community.

To join in this category your project’s annual income must be £10,000 or under.

Services and benefits in this category As this is an unpaid membership benefits and services are limited.

We will keep you up to date with regular e-bulletins and updates on funding opportunities and news stories.

Your project’s name and address will be included on our online map and you will receive free membership of your national voluntary sector charity (NCVO, SCVO or WCVA).

Community Community members get discounted access to all of our training and networking events, information services and access to direct advice from our specialist development staff. You can also upload jobs, events and news content to our website to increase your reach. And you get access to discounted goods and Page 18

Who can join in this category

After one year, Community members are eligible to apply to become voting members of FCFCG, with decision-making powers at our AGM.

Affiliate Schools, local councils and other organisations that run a community green space join in this category. Affiliate members pay a set fee and, like Community members, get access to all the benefits we offer.

Community and Affiliate services and benefits Members in these categories are entitled to wide range of discounted goods and services including: • 25% off training and networking events, consultancy services (e.g. feasibility studies, site design, community consultation) and tailored training,facilitation, presentations/talks, business planning and fundraising.

• Up to 5 hours advice from our specialist team per year.

• Travel bursaries to visit other groups (where available) • Discounts on various goods and services, e.g. seeds, tools etc.

• Membership of FCFCG’s specialist networks • Growing Places online members’ magazine (case studies, in-depth news and networking) • Free access to premium resources on our website and 25% discount on our printed publications • Advertise your jobs for free on our website (normal cost £35 per advert) • Your own profile page on our website (easily upload your own events, news & videos) • FCFCG membership certificate • Free membership of your national voluntary sector charity (NCVO, SCVO or WCVA) income criteria apply.

We work on behalf of all our members • To represent your interests to government, funders and other key decision makers, nationally and regionally.

• To develop new funding streams (e.g. Local Food).

• To influence and inform policy that impacts upon the future of the community growing sector.

For further details including latest discounts and offers visit: www.farmgarden.org.uk/join-us

FCFCG member services

Get in touch...

F

CFCG has several offices throughout the UK through which we deliver our services to members.

Areas covered by our Development Workers Key: Northern Ireland Scotland

General enquiries

Wales

Staff at our UK office in Bristol deal with general enquiries, press and PR, membership, finance, and requests for information and support. Our Chief Executive, Jeremy Iles, can also be contacted at this office.

South West

Tel. 0117 923 1800 admin@farmgarden.org.uk

Staff across the UK Our staff team can provide specialist hands-on advice and information about support and funding in your area.

Wales

Midlands North England London East England

England

Projects and partnerships

North

School Farms Network

Our North of England office is in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Tel. 01207 562 317 north@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/north

Tel. 01373 302 204 ian@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/ education/school-farms-network

Community Land Advice Service (CLAS)

The team in Cardiff deals with general enquiries and can provide contact details for our other offices in Wales.

Tel. 02920 235 535 or 225 942 wales@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/wales

London and the East We are currently fundraising for staff in London. Please use the contact details below until further notice.Tel. 0117 9231 800 london@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/london

England: Tel. 0117 966 9491 england@communitylandadvice. org.uk

Scotland

Midlands

Wales: Tel. 02921 960 966 wales@communitylandadvice. org.uk

Our Scottish office is at Gorgie City Farm, Edinburgh.

Tel. 0131 623 7058 scotland@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/scotland

Northern Ireland Our Northern Ireland office is in Belfast.

Tel. 07725 699 442 ni@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/ northern-ireland

Our Midlands office is at Cardinal Wiseman School Farm in Coventry.

Tel. 07807 822 717 midlands@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/midlands

South West Our South West office is The GreenHouse in Bristol.

Scotland: Tel. 0131 225 2080 scotland@communitylandadvice. org.uk

www.communitylandadvice. org.uk

Growing Together Tel.07807 822 717 heidi@farmgarden.org.uk www.growingtogether.community

Tel. 0117 9231 800 southwest@farmgarden.org.uk www.farmgarden.org.uk/ south-west Page 19

Growing Places Members’ magazine, Winter 2015 UK Office The GreenHouse, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA Tel. 0117 923 1800 admin@farmgarden.org.uk

www.farmgarden.org.uk News, events, job vacancies, how to set up a new city farm or community garden, members zone and online seachable database giving details of city farms and community gardens across the UK.

Please note: This newsletter can be made available in large type, Braille or on audio-tape.

Tel. 0117 923 1800

Supporting communities to manage their local green spaces.

FCFCG receives funding from many sources including:

Patron HRH The Prince of Wales Chief Executive Jeremy Iles FCFCG is a member of:

Chair David Drury Charity no. 294494 Company no. 2011023 Scottish charity no. SCO39440 Printed using vegetablebased inks on recycled paper.

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Join us : www. facebook.com/ fcfcg.uk

www. farmgarden. org.uk/videos