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 Why not become a member of Bath City Farm? If you would like to receive a copy of our all singing, all dancing newsletter, in glorious colour and with pictures, please consider becoming a member of Bath City Farm. Membership only costs £10 a year (concessions available). Your membership fee helps to support our running costs, e.g. salaries, site work, newsletter and of course our animals. The good life A lot of our work here is about encouraging the local community to take an interest in animal welfare, wildlife and the land. Over the last few months we’ve been running some new courses that we hope will introduce more folk to the joys of getting their hands dirty! Green Life Skills Programme Funded by the South West Foundation, our first ten-week course has just finished and we’re delighted with how well it has gone. Each course member had their own story to tell (see Adrian’s story below), but all shared a need for new practical skills that could help them move forward in their lives. Each course is structured around a central project, and we named our first scheme “First Impressions” - a Incidentally, many thanks go to the Council for kindly giving us the plants. Teamwork is central to how the courses are run and we hope participants gained an insight into animal welfare and land maintenance as well as a whole range of new skills. And of course there was the satisfaction of seeing how their hard work (and regular doses of tea and biscuits) had turned their ‘First Impressions’ design into a reality. Keeping Chickens Course With TV programmes regularly exposing the shocking living-conditions of battery hens, ‘back-garden chickens’ are fast becoming the latest ‘in-thing’. More and more people are considering raising a few chooks of their own and we wanted to offer them a good grounding in how to keep healthy and happy hens. We gathered on a glorious September Saturday and started by hearing why people wanted to keep hens: “I have had a world of pets as a child until now and 90% have been rescued and so want to keep this going and would love to save some chicken lives!!” Next came the practicalities - from choosing the best breed, through housing, feeding and protecting them, Even with 10 humans fanned out behind, gently clapping and moving towards the coop, our wily birds found plenty of gaps to make a dash for freedom. Eventually we’d corralled most of them inside and could start a lesson in chicken-catching. No hen’s going to thank you for trying to get hold of it, but the trick is not to let go once you’ve got a hand on it. Our new chicken-fanciers were surprised and delighted to find they could turn a flapping bird into a calm one by scooping it into a gentle but firm embrace. Getting up close and personal gave us a chance to talk more about health issues and how to spot a sickly or egg-bound bird and diagnose scaly leg mite and other unpleasant infestations. I’m pleased to say that even this part of the day didn’t seem to put people off! “I left the course very excited and determined to look after chickens and it was great to learn from two very experienced and passionate people... It was also great to meet so many like minded and enthusiastic people” We plan to run further chicken-keeping courses in the future. If you’re interested, keep an eye out on our website for dates and details at www.bathcityfarm.org.uk or call us on 01225 481269 or email admin@bathcityfarm.org Regular Groups COMMUNITY PLAY RANGERS Play Ranger sessions have kept local youngsters entertained over the summer. In their ongoing Woodland Regeneration project 8-15 year olds are creating an area for nature and play to exist side by side. They’ve re-established pathways through the trees, built dens, and carved steps into the earth to improve access to the new play-space, which the kids have called ‘The Village’. There are new feeders and nesting sites for birds, and log-piles and brash-bundles for hedgehogs, slow worms and other woodland creatures. A tree-climbing day in August run by tree surgeon Tom Gretton found even reluctant climbers conquering their fears to clamber up into the high branches of an ancient beech tree. And Apple Day at the end of October was a great success, with traditional pursuits of apple-bobbing and pumpkin-lantern-making once again accompanied by delicious freshly-pressed apple juice from Broadlands Community Orchard. Play sessions will continue throughout the coming months from 3.30-6pm Contact Bath Area Play project on 01225 832479 for further information ROOTS & SHOOTS TODDLER GROUP
Adrian's Story “I used to have a whole other life” is how Adrian describes his past. His teenage and early adult years were spent addicted to heroin, and the drugs led him to crime and ultimately into prison. In 1991 Adrian was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Life-stories don’t come much tougher, but Adrian tells how he woke up one day and decided he didn’t want to rely on pills any more to feel normal. Bath Mind – an organisation for people with mental health issues – has been central to Adrian’s recovery, providing a safe place for him to live in the early days and supporting his efforts to get his life back on track. Adrian has been free of drugs for 5 years and has stayed out of trouble for 10; he now has a flat of his own and has re-established contact with his children. It was Bath Mind that put Adrian in touch with the farm. “A year ago I’d never have believed I would be allowed to come somewhere like this; with my history of stealing I didn’t think anyone would trust me. Everyone here is really supportive and patient.” Adrian has never had a what he’d call a proper job, but he seems to have found a real sense of purpose from the farm projects he’s been involved in; “You come up here on a cold morning and spend the day working outdoors, then you get home and close your door, with your muscles really going, you know you’ve done a good job and it’s a great feeling”. Working at the farm is helping Adrian build up a portfolio of qualifications that he hopes will enable him to find work. He’s currently working towards his CVQ qualification (see page 4 for more details), he already has an NVQ1 in Horticulture (land-based) from Stowey Bottom Farm near Bristol, and is waiting to start his NVQ2 there. Adrian’s ideal job would be as a groundsman on a stately home, but he’s realistic about the future, “With the recession, there isn’t much work about, but I want to get as many qualifications as I can, so when there is work out there at least I can show employers that I’ve achieved something.” Volunteer Update After those promising warm days of early summer, July and August turned into something of a washout! But even storm clouds gathering on the Bath skyline couldn’t deter our trusty volunteers, who have turned out regularly to help keep the farm in order! The focus of our work through the autumn and into winter shifts more towards maintenance. There’s been essential reed clearing in the pond, where the water was being choked of life. It was a thoroughly messy job, but one which any visiting great crested newts, frogs and dragonflies will be very glad of next spring. We’ve been particularly grateful for all the help with the fencing and hedgerows - clearing the bramble and bindweed from the existing hedges and planting 140 metres of new mixed hedge, including hazel and field maple. Animal care continues to be popular, with giving the goats a pedicure a firm favourite with some of our lady volunteers. Finding enthusiastic weeders can be trickier – but thanks to the efforts of some committed gardeners, the raised beds have continued to produce excellent fruit and veg. In the ‘Bath in Bloom’ competition in July, thanks to volunteers’ wonderful work on our Sensory Garden, we won the Bronze Award in the Floral Display for Community Groups category. What a great achievement for our first time! Next year we’re keen to enter the ‘Environmental’ category with our Green Life Skills ‘Wandering Wilderness’ project and a new Children’s Wildlife Garden. Planting species such as the bird’s foot trefoil to attract the increasingly rare dingy skipper butterfly should stand us in
good stead. So is Helen, our Volunteer Co-ordinator, pinning her hopes on the Silver Award next time? Not a bit of it – “It’s got to be Gold!” This year’s ‘Thank You’ trip took us to Glastonbury and Cheddar Gorge. It was a bit of a dank day, but whether it was striding out up Glastonbury Tor, mooching round the charity shops, or keeping warm with a cup of tea and a bun, everyone seemed to enjoy the day. Animal Update CHICKENS PIGS SHEEP GOATS Funding News As always we are so grateful to the companies and individuals who generously make grants and donations to the Farm. Without their support, our work here would be impossible. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank: Bath Moral Welfare The Victoria Pub Glastonbury Festival Fire Stewards The Bath Building Society Police Community Welfare Team Building Days Don’t fancy ten-pin bowling? Fed up with ‘bonding-sessions’ down the pub? Why not get a group together from your workplace and head over for some farm-based fun (and hard graft!) in the fresh-air? Over recent months staff from the MOD, Bath Volunteer Centre and the Royal United Hospital have joined us to make a big impact on the look of the farm. Office workers from the MOD on Warminster Road wanted to give the atmosphere at work a lift and improve communication. They certainly put their backs into their appointed task and shifted 5 tonnes of gravel for a new section of pathway to the Jacobs sheep enclosure. Staff from the Volunteer Centre spent the morning cleaning out the chickens and ducks, then turned their attention to our flower boxes, as well as designing and painting the Bath City Farm sign which now graces our front gate. If you’re interested in arranging a Teambuilding Day at the Farm, please contact us on 01225 481269 or at admin@bathcityfarm.freeserve.co.uk Volunteer Oppurtunities @ Bath City Farm Our regular Volunteering Mondays will continue over the winter. Please get in touch with the Farm before coming along, as there is sometimes a waiting list. New for autumn 2009
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