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Showing posts for 2009 - Show all posts

  • 23

    NOV
    2009

    Posted at 11:18

    October Newsletter

    October Newsletter

    Autumn has certainly arrived on the farm, with the nights drawing in at a pace and the temperature slowly, but surely, dropping. As always, we’re keeping extremely busy working with young people at risk of exclusion through our unique blend of family, therapy and farming, although this month there's also been a scary halloween twist!

    This month read all about:
    - visits
    - fundraising events and Bath Half Marathon
    - farm news
    - how to bring a group

    For photographs of all this month's activities on the farm click here


    Visits
    In October, eight year 11 students from Burlington Danes Academy, London spent their half term with us at Jamie’s Farm. They were an incredibly diverse and energetic group who grasped every opportunity that was offered to them, from chopping logs in the woods to mucking out the pigs. A real highlight of the week was a Halloween party, complete with fantastic home made costumes, pumpkin lanterns gloaming in the garden and apple bobbing in the orchard. For some really rather gruesome photographs of the night click here

    Their teacher, Daniel Busso, has compiled a documentary which records their time at the Farm. To watch it on youtube click here

    At Jamie’s Farm we are having a short break from young people visiting us while we plan for and implement the move to our new home at Hill House Farm. During this time we will continue to work with young people who have visited us over the last year, and will be investing time and energy into fundraising, organisational development and planning for the upcoming year of visits.

    Kiln Firing
    Our resident potter, Ceri Shaw, worked closely with friends and neighbours to build our very own on-site kiln. The Burlington Danes group were lucky enough to be here for our first firing and it proved to be quite an occasion watching the chimneys flaming as we fed it wood to reach the required 1000 degrees. The tiles that were fired look fantastic and we can now deliver a mosaic of 64 tiles to King Solomon Acadmey, which is made up of tiles painted by all the students (and some staff too!) and will be put on the wall of their new school to help remind them of their visit to Jamie's Farm.

     A big thank you to Travis Perkins, Robert's Projects and Richard Willis for donating materials and to Steve Mills for kindly volunteering his time and expertise.

    Fundraising
    We are currently fund raising to refurbish and redevelop Hill House Farm. We estimate that the rennovation will cost £200,000. If you have any ideas for fund raising, or would like to make a donation email Ruth at ruth@jamiesfarm.org.uk

     

    Bonfire Night

    November 5th was a night of celebration and excitement for the Jamie’s Farm team. Andrew Mercer, CEO of the leadership development programme Footdown, and supporter of the Farm, invited us to collect funds at his annual fireworks display. We raised a fantastic £350 and thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks and delicious food, despite the rain! Many thanks to all involved.

    Bath Half Marathon 2010
    We are continuing to recruit runners for the Bath half marathon which takes place on 7th March 2010. If you’d like to join the Jamie’s Farm running team and receive support including training get-togethers, a pre-race pasta party and a runners' marquee on the day, there are only a few places left. It’s a great way to get fit and to raise money for Jamie’s Farm. To download an application form visit our website or email chris@jamiesfarm.org.uk.

    Farm news
    Autumn is a time to sell livestock that have been fattening on the farm all summer. Our first pedigree Aberdeen Angus steers have been sold to Hartley Farm shop and initial feedback on the beef is excellent. We are also sending weekly batches of outdoor reared Saddleback cross Large White pigs and people continue to flock to buy our produce.  If you would like to purchase any of our meat, and if you’d like to meet the team, Jamie’s Farm will be hosting a stall at the Hartley Farm Christmas Fair on 28th November. A perfect opportunity to stock up on your Christmas treats! For more information visit the Hartley Farm shop website at www.hartley-farm.co.uk

    Keep in touch
    If you would like to find out more regular news about life on the farm, follow us on twitter, our address is www.twitter.com/jamiesfarm.

    Bring a group
    If you are interested in bringing a group of students to the farm we are booking visits now for spring and summer 2010. For more information and availability contact Jane at jane@jamiesfarm.org.uk

    If you would like any more information, or have any suggestions please get in touch by emailing info@jamiesfarm.org.uk

    As always, we are very grateful to you all for your ongoing support.

    The Jamie's Farm team

     

    For photographs of October on the farm click here
     

  • 21

    OCT
    2009

    Posted at 13:43

    Jamie's Farm September News

     

    Dear Friends
    As the leaves are changing colour and the first frost is upon us, life on the farm is as full of life as ever. With sixty students visiting us, and an abundance of new stock on the farm, the place has been brimming with energy.
    To see pictures of all the events that have been happening on the farm in September, click here
    Visits
    September saw an exiting visit from King Solomon Academy, a new ARK school based in Paddington, London. The entire year 7 cohort of 60 students came to visit us, in groups of 20 over an eight day period. This was a new model of working with young people, and due to its success, one which we hope to develop further in the future. Their time on the farm allowed them to develop a community spirit, self esteem and helped the students to nurture close relationships with their classmates and teachers. The visit featured (amongst other things) building new fences, making bread and planting broad beans in the vegetable patch. In particular, the group loved the long walks with the dogs and had great fun singing around the campfire in the woods.  
    Here’s what a few of the students said about the time on the farm:
                    ‘This trip has inspired me to keep going until I achieve my goal’ Dren
    ‘At first I was not looking forward to the trip, now it is one of the best trips ever. I loved it so much. It was so amazing words can’t describe. It was absolutely fantastic and this will always be in my memory.’  Mustack
    ‘This trip has inspired me to open my own farm!’ Wafaa
    And the KSA staff enjoyed it too!

     
    We are eagerly looking forward to our next trip of year 11 students from Burlington Danes Academy, London who will be visiting us in half term, 26th-30th October.
     
    Hill House Farm
    The deal to purchase our new home, at Hill House Farm, is slowly but surely coming closer to completion. We are all so excited about the move and we cannot wait to become part of the Ditteridge community. Jamie and Tish had a lovely evening at the Harvest supper on Saturday and felt they could not have received a warmer welcome to he community. 
    Fundraising
    Waitrose charity of the month
    We were delighted to be selected as a Waitrose Charity of the Month for October. Pop in to Waitrose, Bath to see more information and help us raise as much funds as possible by choosing our box to deposit the green coin you receive when you pay for your shopping.
    Bristol Half Marathon 2010
    We have been lucky enough to be awarded Golden Bond Charity places for the Bath Half Marathon 2010. This great run takes place on the 7th March 2010 and is one of the best organised runs in the country. The route takes in the historic city of Bath, before heading out into the surrounding countryside. It is not only a great opportunity to support our fundraising, but also to build up your own fitness. We have great plans to support our runners, including regular training get-togethers and a pre-race pasta party the night before. We really hope that our runners represent a wide range of different abilities, so whatever your experience, if you're interested please get in contact. For more information please visit our webpage here, or email chris@jamiesfarm.org.uk. Entry forms are available from Chris, or you can download them from our website.
    The Bristol Funding Network
    On September 23rd (in fact, Jamie’s birthday), the Jamie’s Farm team went to Bristol to attend the Bristol Funding Network meeting. We were among five different charities presenting to potential funders and were thrilled to receive over £6000 in generous donations as a result.
    Support Us
     If you are interested in supporting us, there are many ways to do it. You can make a one off donation, or set up a regular monthly donation online via our justgiving page here here  
    Or if you would like to organise a fund raising event, email janebrinson@hotmail.com and request our brand new fund raising pack which is brimming with ideas and advice.
     
    We want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us in the last month, and over the last year. Whether financially, with your time, advice or materials, we really couldn’t do it without you . Thank you!
    Farm News
    Autumn is proving to be a productive time of year on the farm as we are expanding our breeding stock to prepare for the new year. With two sows farrowing last night and another due any day, the piglet count is twenty and bets are on that we will reach 30 by tomorrow. We have also just purchased a new Welsh boar and a Suffolk ram and look forward to seeing their progeny born in the spring. We were pleased to find that our Aberdeen Angus bull, Maxwell, is fulfilling his duties; (despite Jamie’s doubts) he has impregnated all 10 of our breeding cows so we’ll be expecting calves in the spring. To add to our ever growing brood, 23 chicks hatched in our incubator last week and are growing at an incredible rate, as well as receiving a lot of attention from our visiting students.
    After the sad news last month of the trusty Beast’s (our Mitsibushi) demise, we’re pleased to say we have managed to purchase a second hand double cab Landrover. This has made a huge difference to all activities on the farm. Half of the funds to purchase the vehicle were raised through generous donations after Bel Mooney’s article in the Daily Mail. For photographs click here.
    Bring a group
    If you are interested in bringing a group down to the farm then please get in contact. We are taking bookings for spring 2010 so now is the time to get booked in! We have lots of information that will help you to arrange a visit and to position a proposal to your school, just ask by getting in contact janebrinson@googlemail.com
    As always, we are keen to hear from you if you have any suggestions, donations or offers of help.
    Until next time,
    The Jamie’s Farm team.
    To see photos of September on the farm click here 

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