Do we get your vote?

Charlotte and Ben have been nominated by BBC Midlands Today for the
"Midlander of the Year" Award.

You can see the piece shown on BBC Midlands TV by following this link and clicking on Charlotte and Ben on the right hand side of the page.

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=organic+farm&scope=all&tab=av&recipe=all

You can vote for Charlotte and Ben by calling
09015 225101

But, there is only one week to vote and as far as I know you can call up to 100 times from the same telephone number! So, there are no excuses :-)

What has been achieved at Fordhall this year has been nothing short of amazing. The achievements of Ben and Charlotte Hollins (now 22 and 24 years of age respectively) are testament to the support and involvement from all of you. There are 2 of them and almost 8000 of you who own Fordhall. You are the ingredient that make this project work and this award is about your achievements just as much as theirs. The success of this project demonstrates the powerful support that you have for food and farming in this country and above all else, supporting young people in the industry.

After their father, Arthur Hollins died, all Ben and Charlotte wanted to do was to remain at Fordhall and continue to farm it organically. By allowing you to be involved and therefore placing the farm into community ownership, they have done this. Ben and Charlotte are now the proud tenants of Fordhall with security throughout their lifetime, and as an added bonus the farm is there as an educational and social resource for adults and children alike. Although the £800,000 was raised to purchase the land earlier this year, the project does not stop there. Charlotte and team are now working on extending the nature trail and renovating the farm buildings for educational use and of course there are events and volunteer opportunities all the time. All shares now sold will contribute towards these projects, as well as gathering funding for the 12 acre field that they have still not purchased.

For more information on how this project began click below

http://www.fordhallfarm.com/FCLI/project%20origins.htm

Brief Update:
As the winter draws in and the temperature drops we are all running round getting ready for Christmas. Orders for Christmas meat are being organised by Ben and his team of helpers, whilst shares, Fordhall calenders and other merchandise are being posted and written by Charlotte, Sophie and the team of volunteers in the office.

It goes without saying that we are looking forward to the peaceful activities of Christmas day and of course to welcoming in 2007 with full security at Fordhall.

Merry Christmas to all our supporters and friends. This really has been a year to remember and we feel extremely lucky to be where we are today.
Roll on 2007......

p.s. Although it is too late to receive shares in time for Christmas, they are still available. They can be purchased online or through the post. Follow the directions from our homepage www.fordhallfarm.com for instructions.