Charity staff sacrifice Christmas party to help save community farm
Staff at a charity supporting community growing in Wales have shown some true festive spirit – by cancelling their Christmas party and donating the money to Swansea Community Farm, the only city farm in Wales, which faces closure due to a funding shortfall.
The farm has received numerous awards for its work improving the lives of young people and local residents. But its funding has been slashed, cash reserves are depleted and the site faces the real possibility of shutting down.
The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) already works with projects such as the Swansea farm, providing expert advice, information and training. But Welsh staff felt they needed to do more at Christmas by foregoing their annual party and making a donation with the money instead.
FCFCG Wales Manager Emma Williams said: “It was an easy decision in the end. Our staff work in offices in different parts of Wales and we really enjoy getting together at Christmas. But we all agreed that Swansea Community Farm – as the only city farm in Wales - deserved a bit of help in addition to the help we give through our jobs.
“Everyone here is passionate about how local community gardens and city farms can help transform communities. This type of activity has grown enormously in Wales over the last few years, but cuts in funding across the board mean even the best groups, like Swansea, need help.
“We’re giving what we can. Ideally we would like to see individual donors or a businesses in Wales do the same and help this flagship project stay afloat.”
Every year Swansea Community Farm works with over 1,800 programme participants and is visited by a further 10-15,000 members of the public at its purpose designed and volunteer built site in Fforestfach. As a working farm it aims to reconnect people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities with their food, their environment and each other, through a range of unique and exciting educational, volunteering, training and play projects.
The farm, which costs £300,000 a year to run, has launched an appeal to get £50,000 each from the people and businesses of Swansea, from the council and Welsh Government, and from charitable trusts and foundations.
