January 2009

Hello from Michael & Tanya, newly appointed Farm Managers.

Firstly we must say a big thank you to Alice, who we first met at the local Harvest Fair in September at the Town Hall in Glastonbury, where she had a stall promoting the work of Paddington Farm. She invited us to visit the farm and told us she was leaving! We had heard of Paddington Farm but had never visited, so when we took up Alice’s offer we were amazed to find such a lovely project on our doorstep! Immediately after our appointement we took over from Alice at the end of October after a whirlwind week of induction…

We have been living in Glastonbury for three years, running a local community shop which focuses on sourcing good quality local organic food and supporting local growers and community events. This project is based at Bridie’s Yard, on the other side of Glastonbury. Community, creativity and good food have been the focus of our work for some years. Taking on managership of an organic farm seemed like a natural extension of our work, especially one like Paddington Farm, that already has community involvement built in. The team at the farm have making our arrival as easy as possible and it feels great to be working with so many people who have the farm’s best interests at heart.

We’ve spent much of the last two months getting to know the farm, the people, the animals and the neighboours, and it seems that the whole place is like an onion – you peel off one layer only to find endless more layers below! No matter what plans we might make for tomorrow, the farm itself dictates what gets done and when! The farm has a multicoloured history going back a very long time, and the journey of getting to know it is like doing a very big jigsaw puzzle. Paddington Fam feels unique in the sense that is presents an opportunity for people from all walks of life to have a positive impact on a landscape in beautiful surroundings.

WATER

Water is a fundamental issue on the farm.The ground was very waterlogged even by late October, so we began looking at water as one of our priorities. Replacing downpipes on the barns, digging drainage ditches and isolating an underground leak have been part and parcel of our initiation in the farm! In mid-December we experienced Somerset’s worst storm for 40 years which washed away much of the farm track, as a river ran down Maidencroft Lane and into the carpark. However, this is part of the seasonal nature of the farm – a lot of the gritty work needs to get done during late autumn, winter and early spring ready for the arrival of visiting groups in the spring and summer. So much of the work on the farm at the moment involves getting muddy and wearing the full waterproof kit! This can of course be very rewarding work if you embrace it, and we’ve been blessed with some very “up for it” volunteers recently, who have contributed skills and effort on behalf of the farm and it’s environment.

Much of the digging culminated in laying a new water pipe the week before Christmas, and hopefully now we have resolved what has been a major water leak. We will contine the process of digging ditches around the fields for improved drainage.

ANIMALS

Samson and Benjy the goats are doing well, even if it’s bit too muddy for their liking! Goats don’t like getting their feet too wet, so we’ve given them some temporary stepping stones to bypass a particularly muddy patch while we prepare a new paddock for them, which has plenty of brambles to nibble.

The hens are thriving and laying well, with 7 eggs on a good day, they’re laying better and better. It has been a real pleasure watching Henry, the young cockerel, mature and find his voice in the early mornings! One of the winter jobs is to keep the chicken coop repaired and clean, though it is very muddy and as the spring comes and there are more people working in the garden area, we will try free ranging them in the gardens during the days. We may get some ducks in the spring, who can help with the weeding and swim in the newly created garden pond. One of the neighbours has just lost their chickens to a fox so we do need lots of people around.

Ginger the rabbit, (the last of four) has become an excellent escape artist and has been regularly espcaping from his pen. He is currently AWOL and has been spotted in various places around the farm, but apart from decimating a few cabbages he seems fine.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Forest School has been taking place throughout the autumn & winter months and has been very successful.There have been two age groups meeting – 7 – 11 year olds on Friday evenings and 3 – 6 year olds on Saturday mornings. We finished this term with three extended Saturday “taster” sessions which were very much enjoyed by children and parents alike. We will be starting a new course of Forest School sessions in Januaryso check the website for details. Thanks to David & Angeliki – the Forest School leaders – for their hard work and creative inspiration with the children.

Amanda, the Sensory Garden project leader, has been busy preparing the ground for the work to build the garden which will take place until spring. She has constructed a living willow dome, and has run some workshops teaching how to make willlow hurdles and weaving baskets. Just before Christmas Amanda and Seamus worked with a group of volunteers on the first stage of the flow form pond, which will be constructed as part of a workshop in February. There will be more workshops running over the next few months – find out more on the website.

Matthew has been preparing a community mural project featuring a pastoral image of the local somerset landscape. Weather is of course an issue when painting outdoors, so progress will speed up as the weather improves. We will be getting some special paints to mix soon and there will be community painting days where participants can get involved in the farm’s artwork.

In March we will be ho;ding a Paddington Farm Creative Nature Open Day. We have been donated 500 trees by British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, who are distributing trees as part of Western Power’s carbon offset scheme. Anyone and everyone will be invited to come and plant trees on the farm. There will also be a Forest School session, and workshops n willow weaving and Bio-Dynamic Composting as well as an opportunity to come for a walk around the Farm Trail. There will be stalls and refreshments in the barn.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE GARDEN

The polytunnels are alive with life – a variety of vegetables and flowers including beans, mizuna and winter salad, marigolds. Colum, who is managing the CSA project, has also been digging drainage ditches, constructing a new pond, and preparing a new area for planting in spring. He is launching the Gardening Group at the end of January at the Town Hall and hopes to attract up to 20 families to become members of the growing project. You can find out more on the website.

VOLUNTEERS

Paddington Farm welcomes volunteers, and we are developing a new volunteer programme which will encourage volunteers both locally and continue offering opportunities for people – especially from busy city lifestyles – to come and join in with life on the farm. Volunteering can be about you offering a skill or trade you have, or coming down and giving some time and energy wherever it’s needed. Working outdoors can be very rewarding and empowering, especially if you don’t get much opportunity for physical outdoor work. There’s also plenty of work indoors for rainy days! If you’d like to come and get involved in the farm, send us a short e-mail telling us about yourself and what you’d like to offer.

DONATIONS

Donations towards the work of running and maintaining this farm are welcomed. Your donations can either be financial, or material – below is a wish list of things that we need which we will update regularly:

Good quality sofas/armchairs

Large wooden dining table approx 5’ x 8’

Large quantities of good quality, hardwearing carpet

11 good quality single mattresses 30 new pillows

Lined curtains, different sizes or the material to make them

Wheelbarrows and tools

Long ladders (at least 2 x 12’)

A trailer

Art materials – paint, paper, brushes, felt pens etc

Large green canvas

Untreated sleepers or large pieces of wood to make raised beds