Press Release: 6 October 2015
Successful Stroud Community Farm Buy Out gets off the ground with a public celebration on 11th October
The Hammonds Farm Lot 3 community buy out is the stunning result of a successful community share offer from the Biodynamic Land Trust (BDLT), and will be publicly celebrated on Sunday October 11th at 6pm at Lansdown Hall, Stroud. A new film about community biodynamic farming, From Dawn to Dusk will have it’s Stroud premiere.
Stroud Community Agriculture, who farm at Hawkwood College, will farm most of the 41 acres, whilst the farm is designed using a rich tool box of biodynamic, organic, permacultural and agro-ecological methods to regenerate this bare land. People wanting to use the land include a micro dairy, a goat farm, a Starter Farm and market garden for young farmers, grazing for cattle and sheep, plus education, training and care farming.
The Sunday 11th Celebration is an open door, bring and share invitation for all wanting to celebrate how this inspiring project came to fruition and in learning how Stroud Community Agriculture and the Biodynamic Land Trust aim to develop a community-connected, educational farm, orchard and market garden.
190 people have invested in community shares, made gifts and long term interest free loans to raise £328,000 of the £370,000 needed to buy the land, plus £20,000 costs (Totalling £390,000). The current estimated shortfall is £51,000, so the Biodynamic Land Trust is still appealing to people for gifts and to invest more shares to bridge the gap.
Says Gabriel Kaye of the Biodynamic Land Trust:
‘Changing the food system one carrot at a time is what it’s all about.’
Martin Large, BDLT Director, will invite people to help name the farm:
‘This farm gives Stroud people the opportunity to invest in their own community for food security, real family farming and to protect our living, working countryside. This farm will become a beautiful green oasis at the heart of the community.’
This farm is a brilliant demonstration of how restoring and enhancing the ecological fertility of land can have huge social and economic benefits for local communities. Re-localising our economies around sustainably productive land, can help provide food security while providing education, training and job opportunities for local people.
–Molly Scott Cato, South West MEP
What an amazing opportunity… it will be great to secure this farmland for community benefit . We need land to belong to. Stroud has a rare opportunity here, one to be leaped at.
–Greg Pilley and Jade Bashford
Ends.
Notes to Editors
- The Hammonds Farm Community Buyout, bring and share supper and Celebration will take place on Sunday October 11th at 6-8.15pm, at Lansdown Hall Stroud. From Dawn to Dusk , a short film about a community biodynamic farm by Stroud film makers Saffron Knight and Julian Jones will be premiered, and Moo Man, a film about an organic dairy farmers will be shown at 8.15pm.
- See www.biodynamiclandtrust.org.uk for more information and a downloadable Hammonds Farm Share Prospectus.
- For further information: contact Martin Large, Biodynamic Land Trust, 07765 006829; biodynamiclandtrust@gmail.com More Photos available on request.
- [ilink url=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HammondsFarmLaunch11Oct15PressRelease.pdf” style=”download”]Download Press Release here (PDF)[/ilink]
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