The Urban Farm Project

The Urb Farm project is looking for volunteers to help with clearing the wooded areas for planting, helping set up polytunnels, planting the pond areas for wildlife and lots more!

If you are interested please get in touch via the Growing People website.

November 2008

Growing People are looking for young people aged 16-19 who are interested in horticulture. On their allotments there is plenty to do, even at this time of year, including harvesting salad for salad deliveries, looking after the chickens, building and maintenance tasks like putting up fruit cages and fixing guttering, applying horticultural fleece and making Christmas wreaths to sell on the farmers market. It's an exciting time to join the project with the Urban Farm about to take off and some young people may even be eligible for a training allowance of up to £30 per week.

If you are interested please call Heather on 07793 589880.

*AUTUMN 2008 UPDATE*

Back in June we held an open evening for residents living around the site (behind Windsor St, Gloucester Road and Marron Lane). There was a good turn out with some of the young people giving tours of the site and explaining about their plans for growing fruit and vegetables. Thank you to those who came. Although the summer has been quiet on the site, the young people continue to cultivate their allotments at Stacey Hill and make plans for what and how they will grow on the new site. Behind the scenes funding applications are being put together so we can ensure that we are able to fund growers and someone to work with residents who want to get involved. Fingers crossed we are successful with the bid! Although we are still waiting for the lease from MK Council to be signed, we plan to get on with some autumn planting soon so that we can ensure that come Spring 2009 we’re on our way to a good Summer harvest next year. Don’t forget, if you want to get hold of some organically grown Wolverton veg, the Growing People project often comes to the farmers market with fresh salad bags.

*SPRING 2008 UPDATE*

What a transformation. And it's only the start of things to come. Food feet rather than food miles is soon to be a reality in Wolverton!

A flurry of activity in the last few months has seen the Urb Farm site cleared and fenced with drainage and pathways put in. A sign letting people know what is happening has been erected and additional planting is planned for softening the fencing.

The management group that will now lead the project forward is forming, made up of representatives from Food Train, MK Christian Foundation and other allied agencies. We also hope to develop a wider advisory group of people with particular skills and local knowledge.

Watch this space for more updates! If you are interested in finding out more about the project please contact Alissa Pemberton on 01908 221161 or alissa@foodtrain.org.uk