Aim

Aldermoor Community Farm Volunteer Program builds community, improves mental health & wellbeing, & promotes environmentally friendly living.

The vision of the farm is to be a thriving community where people are nurtured while nurturing the land. In practice, this means our volunteers feel the benefits of connecting with nature while actively looking after the land and preventing actions that lead to climate change. For example, we are reducing food miles by producing locally grown food  for local people in a sustainable way. Volunteers maintain natural habitats on the farm land, look after the animals and plant, grow and harvest seasonal vegetables. They also adopt permaculture principles, learning how to re-use, recycle and resource sustainably. The skills and knowledge they learn through doing this enables them to apply these in their own lives helping our community to prevent climate change and adapt so that we are reducing our impact on climate change.

The farm is an example of how to sustainably grow your own food and look after the land and planet. We use permaculture principles growing organic produce; we only use rain water and water from a natural spring on the land; the electricity we use is generated from our solar panels; we re-use and recycle wherever possible. We work alongside our volunteers sharing with them our skills and knowledge and explaining why our approach has a positive impact on the environment. Our farming methods are low impact and maintain the natural make-up of the land. Our produce is either given to volunteers or sold from our site to local residents, which means we are reducing food miles and providing healthy, affordable or free produce to our community.

We host 4 volunteer days a week as part of the farm's ongoing services and have the pleasure of working alongside many volunteers from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Volunteers can self‑refer, and we also receive referrals from social prescribers, GP surgeries, charities, and support organisations. We could not do all that we do on the farm without our volunteers, and in return, we hope to; support our volunteers to find their place and purpose in community; provide a place where volunteers feel the positive effects of nature and community on their mental health and wellbeing; support volunteers to learn new skills and knowledge around growing vegetables, living sustainably and caring for our environment. 

Our volunteer program is supported by a dedicated team of four part‑time staff; a grower who plans and implements seasonal and sustainable growing; a volunteer supervisor who oversees the day-to-day activities of volunteers; a site technician who maintains the health and safety of the farm; a community lead who manages the program, inducts volunteers, supports goal-setting, tracks progress and achievement and manages staff. This funding will sustain the long‑term impact of our work while providing stability that allows us to refine and develop our services.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made