Why not become a friend 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 friend of Bath City Farm. This only costs £8 a year (concessions available). You will be helping to support our running costs, e.g. salaries, site work, newsletter and of course our animals.

Roots and Shoots

The Roots and Shoots gardening club for parents, carers and under 5's finally kicked off during the February half term. 15 Children and their parents from the local area came to plant petunias in the flower beds.

As far as toddler groups go, this is one with a difference. Every Tuesday from 10am - 12pm the group meets up to feed the animals and do a bit of light gardening. Some of the weeks have been rainy and cold, with adults and toddlers alike slipping around in the mud, but with the spring has come lots of lovely weather and the group is growing in number. The children absolutely love all the animals and are getting to know their names now. Tuscan and Max are particularly bold and have no fear of any of the animals.

We have just started to create a small camomile lawn bank. We are very grateful to Awards For All and Wessex Water for donating money to keep the group going. We will be buying plants and childrens gardening equipment with the money. Future plans are to plant strawberries and vegetables and spend lots of time with all the new born animals. If you would like to come and join in just turn up any Tuesday morning or contact the farm for more information.

Healthy Living Week

The Healthy Living end-of-week celebration was held at the farm on Thursday 5th April and the weather couldn't have been better. Around 150 people turned up to enjoy a healthy BBQ of vegetable kebabs and make healthy sandwiches.

Children created weird and wonderful creatures out of fruit with the ever popular fruit bug making, then demolished them in a feeding frenzy afterwards. Bart and Lisa, the tame sheep, led 50 children on a treasure hunt around the farm, ending up at the chicken house where the treasure was buried in the animal feed bins. Everyone got active on an obstacle course and the children somehow managed not to get indigestion on the bouncy castle. Tired out adults recuperated with free hand massages.

On the whole, a great success, with visitors going home and taking with them a healthy message.

The event was part of a Healthy Living Week which takes place in the Southwest Triangle area of Bath, co-ordinated by Time Bank Plus.

Volunteers Update

Work has been steadily progressing with the new pigpen, despite bad backs and late concrete deliveries. Work will be finished in May. A big thank you to Alide Plant for free use of a mini digger and the National Trust for the loan of their petrol cement mixer. You made the job so much easier. Also to our hard working volunteers.

Molly, Anne and Co. have been working hard extending the new garden, digging compost into clayey soil and getting out many bindweed roots, the job is never ending.

The fruit bed that the cub scouts have planted are coming on well and we are looking forward to strawberries and gooseberries in the coming months. If you have any plants you would like to donate to the farm or to join in with our Monday afternoon club please give us a call or just turn up.

Volunteers from the Big Issue, vendors, staff and volunteers came to help with hedgelaying at the end of March and did a great job.

Other volunteers who have helped include the youth offending team and two work experience pupil from Culverhay and the Link School. All worked really hard for the farm. We couldn't do without any of you.

Goodbye Caroline

Caroline Frances-King, who has been involved with the farm since 1997, has sadly stepped down as the Chair of the farms Trustees. Caroline had taken a lead role in developing the site of Bath City Farm and must be thanked for the huge amount of time and effort she has put into taking the farm forward. If it were not for her, there would be no farm building, staff, animals or any of the projects which are so successful now.

Not only was Caroline the Chairperson, she was also the treasurer, main fundraiser, secretary...the list goes on!

So, it was a very sad occasion for all at the farm when Caroline announced she would no longer be able to continue with us. Caroline has now taken on a new project at Slimbridge Wildlife Center so we wish her well with this. However, we are pleased to be able to inform you that Councillor Gerry Curran has stepped into the Chairpersons role at the farm. Vice Chairperson is Sarah Rees and the Treasurer is Trish Barnes.

We also have a new company secretary, Molly Ricketts, who is doing a great job, as well as four other trustees who help with other areas of the farm, Lorraine Horton (local fundraising), Lisa Benham (large fundraising bids and emergency contact), Hilary Peters (valuable experience of setting up Surrey Docks City Farm) and Paul Poulton (Health and Safety, site work and website). All trustees do a lot more than mentioned here and all are very committed to the farm and will endeavor to keep working hard to maintain the farm and its many projects which are now so successful.

The next Annual General meeting at the farm is taking place on Wednesday 9th May. Both members and non-members are welcome and we will be meeting in the farm building at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be provided, so we will hopefully see many of you there.

Animal Update

The past few months have seen a contrast in weather since the last newsletter, from being extremely wet and muddy we now have hot and dusty pens to contend with.

With the coming of spring lots of new animals are on the way, or by the time you read this are already born. Most of the sheep are pregnant (well done Zippy the ram) and with 15 lambs born by mid April the farm is looking lively.

Ashley and Honey are hopefully pregnant to, with kids due around June.

Big Spring Funday

Bath City Farm joined together with another local charity, The Southside Family Project, to hold the Big Spring Funday on Saturday April 14th. The event was a huge success with the weather good enough to be mid summer, and over 200 visitors. The aim of the day was to raise funds for both organisations. We managed to raise £557 which was brilliant!

Staff, volunteers and trustees from both organisations ran stalls such as Tombola, Bottle stall, Splat the rat, Bouncy castle, Gardening stall to name but a few. There was also a car boot sale, table top sale and mini Crufts show. But this Crufts was no ordinary dog show, categories included the scruffiest dog, waggiest tale and most looks like its owner. The Mayor, Carol Paradise came up to judge and enjoy the wonderful views. All in all a great day had by all and thank you to everyone who helped out.

It's great to join together with the Southside Family Project for an event like this, we often work together to provide activities for local families during the Summer so it makes sense to help each other with fundraising events too. Penny McKissock from the Southside Family Project said:

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Litterpick

Our annual sponsored litterpick took place on February 18th this year. It was well attended and we managed to gather plenty of rubbish. Culverhay School came and did their community college the week before and started the ball rolling by clearing litter from along the hedgerow on Kelston View. We joined forces with the Southside Family Project who raised money for their organisation. A big thank you to all those that raised money. It makes a difference to the appearance of the farm.

Half Term

Thanks to the rain, there was a change to the advertised Spring half-term activities on Wednesday and Thursday. Green woodworking and natural sculptures were cancelled, instead kids and parents could be found indoors, making mini-beasts out of pipe cleaners, pompoms and pine cones.

Both days were busy with quite a few new faces dropping by to join in gardening or try their hands at making bumblebees, caterpillars and butterflies. On Wednesday a 'mini-beast village' was built on the rough patch near the lock ups, out of logs, twig and earth. "It was my daughters first time down on the farm," said one mum, "she loved seeing the animals and building a hedgehog home." On Thursday everyone was in out of the rain making beautiful pictures and more mini-beast models.

Keep your eyes peeled for posters for the next half term fun at the farm

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Schools

Demand for assemblies has been very quiet since just before Christmas, but now the first spring bookings are starting to trickle through. Now that the weather is getting finer, schools are showing a renewed interest in visiting the farm.

The imminent arrival of new baby farm animals has been a great selling point, with schools promising to book visits in time for the arrival of the next generation of chicks and lambs.

Three Ways Special School have continued coming to their sessions and the students have recently begun planting their own vegetable patch. They have also been preparing for new arrivals to the farm by making a chick area for when the chicks are big enough to stay in the chicken area all night. it's great to see the kids becoming increasingly confident with the farm animals.

If you know of or belong to a class, school, group or club that may gain from a visit to Bath City Farm then please don't hesitate to contact us.

Up Coming Events

Fringe @ the Farm

1st June, 12pm - 4pm The farm will again be hosting this popular event. This year, weaving has been added to the packed itinery!

Federation Of Farms And Gardens Summer Show

Saturday 7th July, 12pm - 4pm The Federation will be hosting a summer show at their headquarters in Bristol. Bath City Farm will have a display stall, with weaving demos and items for sale. Roots and Shoots will be entering their decorated welly and mini garden into the show.

Car boot sale

Once a month in June, July, August. Dates to be confirmed. Please contact the farm for details. £5 per car, £8 per van. To book a pitch call Helen or Abby on 01225 481269

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