Jo Haughton, communications coordinator for LESS, explains how a £30,000 Crowdfunder campaign will help bring the vision for a new community farm in Lancaster to life…
We can scarcely believe it’s been a year since LESS purchased Summerhouse Farm – a degraded patch of land nestling between a new housing estate and the canal just a few minutes’ walk from Lancaster city centre – thanks to a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and a local trust fund.
Usually the cost of land is prohibitive to new farmers, and one of the aims of the wider FoodFutures Partnership is to see more land put into community ownership – empowering communities to create their own ‘wealth’, growing more food locally with fairer access to it, as well as delivering outcomes for better health for people and nature.
The team at LESS is open to how the farm will evolve – diverse community groups – such as youth groups or food clubs will be involved in co-designing spaces, embedding growing skills at grass roots level.
The farm represents a wonderful opportunity to be a gathering space creating a sense of belonging and connection to each other and the land.
We’ve done the hard part and got the land, now we need to bring the community-inspired design for the farm to life. That’s why we have launched this Crowdfunder to raise £30,000 to help transform the field into a productive farm with a market garden, orchards and wildlife habitats.
We ‘soft’ launched the campaign at Potato Day last Saturday – and the buzz and excitement in the room was palpable – we want to scoop you up in that feeling of positivity and hope and join us in the fundraising effort!
Aviva Community Foundation will DOUBLE any first donations made, up to £250 until 11 March.
We are offering rewards and opportunities to join the growing community, learn skills and enjoy a share of the first crops.
Please share the crowdfunder link with your friends, work colleagues and family –
