Farms for City Children Autumn Newsletter 2021

Autum n 2021

www.farmsforcitychildren.org farmsforcitychildren

farmersforaweek Registered Charity Number 325120

farmsforcitychildren

Contents

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Welcome Farm News Impact Fundraising Corporate Shop Support Us

Contacts 01392 276381 admin@farmsforcitychildren.org www.farmsforcitychildren.org Farms for City Children, Huxham Barns, Huxham, Exeter, EX5 4EJ Patron: HRH The Princess Royal Founders: Sir Michael Morpurgo and Lady Clare Morpurgo Founding President: Ted Hughes OM Chairman: Simon Gregory

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Welcome

The welcome return of residential visits After 18 months with no overnight stays, residential visits are back! The happy chatter of children has brought life back to the farms that fell silent when Covid struck.

A deep sense of anticipation had built throughout the summer holidays, with enthusiastic new teams joining our brilliant long-term colleagues to wake our farms from their long slumber. Policies were reviewed, fire alarms tested, kitchens scrubbed, and the donkeys groomed. And then they arrived; children by the busload poured on to the farms, their laughter and obvious delight filling the autumn air and our hearts with joy.

To be back doing what we are here to do feels wonderful. Our huge and heartfelt thanks go to you, our loyal supporters, without whom we wouldn’t be in a position to welcome back the children for residential visits that will enhance and change their lives. And none of it would be possible without the phenomenal efforts and sacrifices of the whole staff, especially those who worked tirelessly throughout Covid to keep the Charity alive.

The following pages will give you a feel for just how brilliantly the first few weeks of residentials have gone. Each of the farms has welcomed visiting groups, and every school has given positive feedback.

The children have been immersed in the countryside, learning to love the natural environment and becoming more connected to the source of the food they eat. It’s always been our mission to broaden children’s horizons and enhance their wellbeing and we know that they need these opportunities more than ever after all the upheaval when their freedom, friendships and learning have been so restricted.

Our farms provide the perfect natural environment to help this generation of lockdown children recover from the far-reaching effects of the pandemic, giving them the chance to play and socialise with their peers, grow in confidence and acquire new skills during their stay. Parents, carers and teachers report a positive and lasting impact on children’s behaviour and self-esteem, and we know that this boosts their educational achievement too.

Thank you for helping to make this possible.

Vanessa Fox, CEO

“To be back doing what we are here to do feels wonderful.”

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FARM NEWS

We’ve been so delighted to resume our residential visits this autumn after an 18-month enforced break. In September, our new team welcomed the first children back from a London primary school, who spent a happy week immersed in farming activities from harvesting to feeding cattle, clearing a fallen tree and caring for our flock of chickens.

The children provided many hands to help weed and prepare the ground for planting in our Victorian Kitchen Garden. Wheeling their laden barrow loads of weeds down the lane to the pig field quickly became a favourite activity, as the children were enthusiastically greeted by our ever-hungry Large Black pigs who eagerly devoured their loads!

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Nethercott House

Over the summer, without our usual residential visitors, we sold and donated our garden produce to local customers and community food initiatives. We plan to continue selling and donating wherever possible - but it was great to get back to our ‘farm to fork’ basics where visiting children pick, prepare, cook and share the produce over lively evening meals in the Victorian manor house. We aim for a ‘100% plate’ – everything produced at the farm – a concept that captivated the budding mathematicians among our young guests.

It was wonderful to see the children’s confidence grow throughout the week. Faced with the challenge of putting our friendly but obstinate chickens to bed, they were respectful, resilient and unfazed, using their communication and other skills they’d learnt from previous tasks to round them up as a team.

Their heartfelt feedback showed the transformative nature of the experience they shared with us. Thank you for making this possible for young people, who need opportunities to grow, connect and heal more than ever since the pandemic.

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FARM NEWS

“Five glorious days on the Pembrokeshire coast… 35 pupils had the week of their lives.

Stunning setting, wonderful staff and incredible experiences.”

Dan Hall, Head of Academy, Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace

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It was wonderful to welcome pupils from Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace in September – our first residential visit since the pandemic.

The spectacular St Davids peninsula, perfectly showcased by the glorious weather, formed a beautiful backdrop for the group’s beach visits where they learned about ocean ecosystems and the diverse marine wildlife along the Pembrokeshire coast such as jellyfish, crabs, basking sharks, minke whale and dolphins.

During their coastal walks along the rugged headland the children measured the cloud coverage and wind speed – discovering the importance of weather forecasting in farming. They were thrilled also, to see seal pups basking on the rocks below.

Lower Treginnis

Back at base, there was livestock to tend and produce to harvest. Lots of new arrivals, including our cheeky new milking nanny goat, Eira; our gorgeous Welsh breeding pig, christened ‘Crystal’ by the children, and chirpy chicks hatching from eggs we’d incubated.

Our old-timers proved popular too – egg collecting was one of the children’s favourite tasks, and the donkeys seemed delighted to have so much attention again!

Inspired by the success of our Open Food Network veggie box scheme developed during lockdown, we set up another community initiative. The children picked flowers grown in our garden, tied them into bunches, attached a hand-written note and took them to the local harbour, Portclais, for residents to pick up. A ‘random act of kindness’ that made us all smile.

As always, we ended each evening with a hot chocolate by the fire, using wood cut by the children. After so many months of uncertainty, it was just wonderful to hear the children reflect on their stay with such positivity and gratitude and using their new-found love of the Welsh language! Amseroedd da (good times).

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FARM NEWS

We ushered in a new era at Wick Court this September, our 17th Century farmhouse fresh from its renovations and ready to welcome its first residential guests since March 2020.

It was wonderful to watch 35 excited schoolchildren from London find their farming feet during what, for many, was not only their first week away from home, but also their first visit to the countryside.

The start of their new academic year coincided with all the ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ of autumn and they embraced every aspect of the season in this stunning setting near the River Severn, marvelling at misty dawns and entranced by the harvest moon.

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Wick Court

Fruit picking in the orchards followed by cooking sessions in the farmhouse kitchen saw the children transform an abundance of apples, plums and blackberries into delicious crumbles and tasty pork and apple sausage rolls that were eagerly devoured at dinner time.

Having harvested the fruit, they set about preparing the ground for planting. Their beautifully prepared beds in the kitchen garden were weeded and composted and ready for our next visitors to plant up.

Seeing and understanding the cycle of life is all part of the immersive experience for children staying at our farms. The children saw cows being artificially inseminated at our partner farm, Oldbury, watched calves being born, and admired our handsome guest bull currently with our Gloucester herd. They weighed and fed pigs (one a new mum and one expecting piglets), groomed horses and learnt shepherding skills to shift our Dorset sheep into their new pens ready to lamb in November.

During a new activity session focusing on biodiversity and wellbeing the children enjoyed building a brand new bug hotel from wood pallets for our insect friends.

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Telling it like it is

“I loved going on the coastal walk and seeing the seals! Treginnis makes me joyful.”

What a difference a week in wellies can make – as told by the children and their teachers “In London there is a lot of noise but at the farm there are no cars or busy streets and no ipads or TVs - we speak to each other and spend time outside.”

“The view across the river was the best I’ve ever seen – you can see for miles and miles.”

“I will think about where my food comes from.”

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"It's the chance of a lifetime...and very smelly!"

“I learned to eat with a knife and fork for the first time.

I learned to sit at the table and eat with other people.”

“Lots of children who tend to struggle or can be overlooked in the classroom have had the chance to shine. They have grown in confidence. This is a once in lifetime experience for them all.”

“Staff and farmers always gave the children the time needed, nothing is more valuable than time. In many children's lives this is a rare commodity.”

“I became more confident in front of more people.”

“At no point were children spectators, they were always involved and had tasks explained to them. They understood the reasons, value and impact of all their activities.”

Fundraising We’re working to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children providing opportunities for discovery and learning that empowers them to see a bigger, brighter future – and we couldn’t do any of it without our amazing supporters.

For these children who live in some of the most deprived communities in the country, inequalities have intensified over the past 18 months due to the consequences of the pandemic, school closures and increased poverty. The need has never been greater for these children to access a different world far away from their concrete city horizons and to enjoy the freedom, fresh air and good food that our countryside farms provide.

We can’t provide these children with the best week of their lives without you! And right now we need your support more than ever so that no child misses out.

Please support us to welcome over 3,000 children from disadvantaged communities to our farms in the year ahead for a lifeenhancing week of mud and magic

Donating the Gift of Farming Joy £25 could pay for a set of children’s waterproof overalls £30 Every month will help subsidise one child’s joyful week of discovery on the farm

£75 could pay for a farm to fork cooking

How you can help You can make a donation, set up a regular gift, organise or participate in an event - from cake sales to marathons, or prepare to get your boots on and raise funds on Welly Wednesday!

Every pound raised helps to make a positive difference to children’s lives.

Or this Christmas you have the opportunity to DOUBLE YOUR DONATION if you are able to donate online via The Big Give website to our Sowing the Seeds for a Brighter Future Campaign. From 30th November to 7 December all online donations will be doubled (for as long as match-funding funds last) We hope to raise £20,000 so our farms can welcome 50 children who’ve never been to the countryside to be inspired, engaged and immersed in nature.

What an incredible Christmas gift to jointly give!

Visit https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/ and search for Farms for City Children

£150 could pay for livestock and poultry feed, bedding, welfare and care £400 could subsidise a weeklong countryside and farming residential for one child

and nutrition activity for 12 children

If you would like to talk about supporting us in more detail, please call us on 01392 276678 or email fundraising@farmsforcitychildren.org www.farmsforcitychildren/Supportus

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Incredible partnerships How can your company make a difference to children’s lives?

By working with Farms for City Children, your business can help us to give children a lifechanging experience with life-long benefits.

We guarantee your colleagues and customers will feel uplifted too! l

Swap a day in the office for an outdoor team-building day with a difference - by volunteering at one of our countryside farms

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Focus your fundraising efforts on your local community – fund a trip for school kids round the corner to stay at one of our farms.

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If your company has a charity-of-the-year programme or runs a corporate foundation, please let us know.

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Get involved in Welly Wednesday on 9th February 2022. Wear your wellies to work or arrange a walk in wellies and ask colleagues to donate.

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Host a one-off event at work… bake sale, lunch ‘n’ learn, film screening or sweepstake.

We can help with event planning and marketing, and provide you with materials but we’ll also inspire your staff and customers to have fun while fundraising and feel good – just like our incredible partners below: l

Brewin Dolphin’s Exeter, Truro and Plymouth offices chose Farms for City Children as their Charity of the Year in 2020 and again in 2021.

Not only have they raised over £10,000 to support our work through organising a plethora of activities, but their staff recently enjoyed a team building volunteering day at our Devon farm which created mutual lasting impact for all.

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BMO Bank of Montreal in London raised a staggering £13,500 by participating in a month of inventive team challenges so that 30 children from their local school can spend a magical week with us.

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Britain’s Farm Toys is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. As part of its centenary celebrations, the company donated £10,000 to help children affected by the pandemic.

Thank you to all the amazing companies who support our work. You’ve helped to make life better for hundreds of children who’ve endured a difficult 18 months.

Every £400 welcomes another city child to our magical farms for a week-long visit and sends them home again brimming with ambition, confidence, and stories to tell!

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To find out about working together contact our Corporate Fundraising Manager Lisa Long on 01392 276678 or email lisa@farmsforcitychildren.org

WEDNESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2022

farmsforcitychildren

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Our shop 1

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7 1. “Christmas Kisses” Christmas Cards

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From an original linocut by Charlotte Whatmore inspired by Nethercott House donkeys – Ned and Applejack. Pack of 10 with “Merry Christmas” inside.

high in the forest canopy, A Song of Gladness reminds us all of our connection with nature, and with each other, and the urgent need for us to join together in caring for the planet and every creature in it. (Ages 3-6yrs)

2. “Santa’s Little Helper” Christmas Cards

7. The Birthday Duck by Michael Morpurgo

Designed exclusively for Farms for City Children by Jessamy Keily. Pack of 10 with “Merry Christmas” inside.

Sam is a city boy through and through – and isn’t looking forward to his school trip to Nethercott Farm at all. But busy days of farm work, animals and learning all about nature weave their magic – and when Sam finds a duck about to be dinner, he is determined to save him. But how? A warm and magical story gloriously brought to life by the incredible illustrative talent of Sam Usher and set on the real-life Nethercott Farm. (Ages 4yrs and up)

3. A Festive Feed! Give the gift of Virtual giving This Christmas you can help feed some of the farm animals who bring so much joy and happiness to children who have often never visited the countryside or a farm before.

4. Winter Wonderland – Virtual Gift

8. War Horse Picture Book by Michael Morpurgo

Change a city child’s life with a fully immersive nature inspired experience in the ultimate Winter Wonderland!

A whole new world is revealed every winter morning to children tramping over frosty fields and looking out over wide magical horizons as they care for the livestock and connect with the natural world.

The much-loved novel, War Horse, has been adapted for a picture book audience. This powerful book for younger readers tells the enduring story of a friendship between a boy and his horse and is a gateway to help children understand the history of the First World War. (Ages 5-7 yrs)

9. Farmyard Friends Notelets

5. Mud & Magic Tea Towel

From an original linocut by Charlotte Whatmore.

A pack of 8 square notelets with envelopes featuring Charlotte’s beautifully observed lino-cut design, inspired

by Nethercott House Geese. Blank inside for your own message.

Our wonderful colourful tea towels are back by popular demand! Made from 100% cotton featuring Quentin Blake’s Mud & Magic image.

6. A Song of Gladness: A story of Hope by Michael Morpurgo From a blackbird in a Devon garden to leopards in the African savanna, hibernating bears and chimpanzees

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All goodies available from our online shop at farmsforcitychildren.org/shop

shop and donate Shopping with Farms for City Children We have a lot more gifts and goodies available from our online shop at farmsforcitychildren.org/shop

Products

Price

*NEW for 2021! “Christmas Kisses” Christmas Cards

£6.00

£

*NEW for 2021! “Santa’s Little Helper” Christmas Cards

£6.00

£

A Festive Feed! Give the gift of Virtual giving

£10.00

£

Winter Wonderland – Virtual Gift

£50.00

£

Mud & Magic Tea Towel

£6.00

£

A Song of Gladness: A story of Hope by Michael Morpurgo

£12.99

£

The Birthday Duck by Michael Morpurgo

£12.99

£

War Horse Picture Book by Michael Morpurgo

£10.00

£

Farmyard Friends Notelets

£6.00

£

Postage and Packaging

£3.50

£3.50

I would like to add a donation of

£

£

Thank you for your support.

Qty

Total

Subtotals

£

Please complete the ‘Your Details’ section overleaf and return this order form with a cheque made payable to Farms for City Children to the address below. If you are donating, please include this in your cheque total.

Freepost Plus RUBA-HTLU-GUBA Farms for City Children, Huxham Barns, Huxham, Exeter, Devon EX5 4EJ

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Thank you for your support Your details Title:

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and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to be treated as Gift Aid donations, allowing FFCC to reclaim from HMRC an additional 25p for every £1 donated.

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I confirm that I am a UK taxpayer and I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/ or Capital Gains Tax in the current year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on my donations it is my responsibility to pay the difference.

I understand that I must contact FFCC if I wish to cancel this declaration, change my name or home address, or no longer pay sufficient tax on my income and/or Capital Gains.

Sort Code Account No Please pay Farms for City Children, NatWest Bank, Sort Code 53-50-28, Account Number 08404445 The sum of £ every month/quarter/year (please circle) until amended or cancelled, starting:

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Keep in touch We would love to keep in touch with news about how your support is bringing joy to the children who visit the farms. Please tick below to tell us how you want to hear from us: Email

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Data Protection - we take your data protection very seriously. Full information on how we keep and process your data securely can be found in our Privacy Policy at www.farmsforcitychildren.org/dataprotection.

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