Press Release: Balsall Heath City Farm
New Partnership Gives Hope to City Farm
St. Paul’s Community Development Trust are happy to announce that following lengthy discussions with a number of organisations agreement has been reached with The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) that will secure the long term viability of the Balsall Heath City Farm.
Threatened with closure since December 2018 St. Paul’s have been working with a number of organisations to try to secure the long-term viability of the City Farm. Now agreement has been reached with TAWS which means that the farm which has operated in Balsall Heath for over 40 years will remain open.
City Farm Song
A lovely piece put together by local director and actor Haqi Ali to go with the song that Ella wrote and performed with family and friends.
Raising Money for the Farm
Wehida Mulla – Language Through Play Worker (St. Paul’s Trust Children’s Centre)
I am running the Rotary Shakespeare Full Marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday 28th April 2019 to help raise money to support Balsall Heath City Farm stay open.
This lovely farm is set to close unless new money can be raised. Unless funding can be found the closure will go ahead.
Activities for the Over 50’s
We have a number of services running on a Tuesday and Wednesday for the 50+ at the Farm & Venture on Malvern Street (Just off of the Clifton Road).
- Tea & Coffee on a Tuesday between 10:00 and 11:30.
- Cooking Sessions on a Wednesday between 10:00 and 12:00
- Clay & Craft Activities on a Wednesday between 10:00 and 12:00 (*)
- Gardening Club on a Wednesday between 12:30 and 14:30
(*) Starting 3rd April 2019
Please click on an image to open a larger version.
Hope and Change Community Day
Come and join us for free family fun at St. Paul’s Venture this Saturday between 12 and 4pm.
Friends of the Farm meeting #2
#SaveOurFarm – We are holding our second meeting to discuss ways forward to save the farm.
- When: Wednesday 13th February 2019
- Where: St. Paul’s Venture
- Time: 7pm
We are also still accepting donations via PayPal.
Learn How To Prune A Fruit Tree
Sadly, we had to postpone the session on the winter maintenance of fruit trees due to sickness.
The session will go ahead on Wednesday 30th January instead
Wednesday 30th January we are working with Balsall Heath is Our Planet to host a session on the winter maintenance of Fruit Trees, the session is FREE to attend and is open to everyone.
Please see the poster above for more information or contact us on 0121 464 1888.
Friends of Balsall Heath City Farm Meeting
#SaveOurFarm – a meeting to discuss ways forward and how YOU can help!
We’ve had lots of kind offers from individuals to help secure a sustainable future for this #UrbanOasis, a much-needed community resource in the Inner City. So we can all pull in the same direction and work together we have arranged a meeting.
- When: Wednesday 23rd January 2019
- Where: St. Paul’s Venture
- Time: 7pm Onwards
BBC WM Visits the Farm
Copy of the feature on Radio WM today – Save our Farm
We are also scheduled to be on BBC Midlands Today at 13:30 this afternoon and 6pm this evening (Friday 4th Jan)
Central News Visits The Farm!
Following Friday’s very sad announcement about our Urban Farm facing closure, Central News have paid a visit to the Farm.
The following video is from the Broadcast on the Saturday evening news.
(You might need to turn the volume up a bit)
Unique Urban Farm To Close
Balsall Heath City Farm is set to close by the end of March, unless new money can be raised to support it.
Set up by a group of residents in 1980, with just a few chickens, the farm now includes sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, geese and turkeys. The Farm costs some £55,000 a year to run, and its parent body, St Paul’s Community Development Trust, says it can no longer afford to keep it open.
The farm is enjoyed by local children and their families, providing close up access to animals in one of Birmingham’s most deprived neighbourhoods. Visitors who came as children now bring their own little ones down to see the 50 animals that live on the Farm. Others come as volunteers to help feed the animals and grow flowers and vegetables. Entrance to the farm has always been free, but staff also run educational visits for nurseries, schools and other groups.
