The Magic of Fordhall Farm, by Sophie



Charlotte watering the newly planted
green roof
in front of the newly installed
PV cells thanks to Salop Energy.



It’s all go here at Fordhall where the new walls are being painted, calves are being born and volunteers are beavering away fixing fences and building carparks. Things seem to be in constant fast-paced change, but at the core, things are very much still the same since I left in 2008. Charlotte is still running around doing 700 things at once, Ben is still thriving as a farmer, and there are still so so many others pottering around lending helping hands. But there are some significant differences of course.



The new buildings: it is fantastic to see the vision from the early days in the campaign coming into fruition. It is almost like a little dream, but the noise of the diggers and chickens confirm that it is actually happening, for real, right now. It is great!



Bex (Community garden
coordinator) on
her way to water the garden

There is an immense level of productivity at the moment, and the momentum is peaking as the deadline approaches. Whether it is making decisions on crockery, to ordering toilet signs and planning computer networks. The level of detail that is needed from Charlotte, Ben and all those that are helping out is really impressive. They are champions are dealing with stress with a smile.



The photos show Bex off on her mission to water the new hedgerow at the driveway entrance. This involved a complicated process of connecting 3 hosepipes with much hilarity. The next photo is of Andy supervising Hugo (my husband!) as they put Andy’s car park plan into practice. And it looks pretty impressive.

 Charlotte tells me that there is only one week to go until they open. The pressure is on...

Andy (left - our wonderful volunteer landscape architect) and
Hugo (right - wonderful volunteer) constructing the new car park.



I sincerely hope that you are able to visit the farm this year, either during an event or to enjoy a walk around the extended and idyllic farm walks. To see your dream come true is such a special moment. And as supporters, you should take a moment to enjoy it for yourselves. I know I will certainly be visiting again in the near future.

Sophie (ex-employee, volunteer and dog’ s body. Or “Sophie from the book” as Charlotte calls me).

Ben, Charles and Chris moving hanging rails
for Ben's new burchery fridges.



Almost there - now just the finishing touches



Charles monitors the laying of our oak flooring in the upstairs office.
You can see the recycled newspaper insulation sitting below.