Last Sunday we took part in the national Open Farm Sunday event where we opened our gates at Woodbank Community Food Hub to show the work that we do in trying to transform the local food system - it was an absolutely fantastic day, and we are so grateful to everyone for coming down and taking part in our activities.
We are entering one of the worst financial crises of the last few decades, with many people already feeling the squeeze of the cost of living crisis - and things are seeming as if they will only get worse in the coming months. While the cost of living goes up, the national insurance increase may mean that our take-home wage is also decreasing. UK households are facing yet more decisions on whether to heat their homes or eat dinner.
We've got a really busy summer programme of exciting events coming up and we need just 2 hours of your help to make them fun and engaging to an even wider community of people. Read on to find out how you can get involved...
Hear from our FarmStarters on their first few months at Woodbank!
Sarah
Hear from Rachel, our Wellbeing Coordinator for Kindling Trust,at Woodbank Park Community Food Hub on our first and very special Grow, Cook & Eat session of 2022.
Last Saturday saw us host our first Kindling Late over at Woodbank, and what a success it was!
Our new(ish) Community Programme Coordinator, Naomi, spent the day at Woodbank cooking up a delicious vegan meal for the hardworking volunteers who had spent the day building the pergola over the seating area.
This year our new cohort of FarmStarters joined us at Woodbank Community Food Hub. We asked all five of them what inspired them to join the programme, and what they hope to achieve from it in the future.
Here is some of what they said:
Maria
We are seeking an experienced and organised grower to work alongside our FarmStart co-ordinator in scaling up the commercial growing element of our two-acre horticulture site.
For the last five years we have been investing in and transforming an old council nursery into a Community Food Hub with a range of vibrant projects, including our FarmStart training programme and commercial organic growing courses.
We're recruiting a Lead Grower to be based at our main horticulture site in Stockport, Woodbank Community Food Hub.
Due to the nature of the space and this role, we're looking for someone who has lots of growing experience already under their belt, to help take on the four-acre site with the FarmStart Coordinator. The role will involve crop planning, site design, all aspects of crop production, helping with the FarmStart students, and general maintenance of the site.
Last night we held our annual 'Do you want to be an organic farmer?' event at Woodbank Community Food Hub, where we welcomed eight keen folk to learn more about the FarmStart course before they apply. It was a great evening with lots of really interesting discussion, and great potential for our next set of recruits.
