Volunteer’s Week, the annual celebration of UK volunteers, is entering its 40th year this June; and Fordhall Organic Farm is sending out an open afternoon invitation for anyone interested in joining their ranks to find out all about volunteer life on the farm.
As a thriving volunteer led organisation, the community owned farm, located in Market Drayton, North Shropshire, are extending the opportunity for a cuppa, a sausage by the campfire, and meet the volunteer team.
Fordhall’s foundations are in volunteering – from the campaign to save the farm to development in 2006, to the present day, many wonderful individuals have given up their time, and shared valuable skills, to support life on the farm. Recently, tree planting saw over 63 volunteers getting involved in the project to plant over 2000 trees. Involvement also ranges from maintenance, to wildlife conservation, to office support, café roles and event setup and support – even weddings!
In the UK, around 16% of the population volunteer at least once a month! They are an invaluable support to many organisations, charities and not for profits, who rely on their skills and contributions to keep their day-to-day ticking over.
Charlotte Hollins, Fordhall Community Land Initiative General Manager, said:
‘Our volunteers are so valuable to life on the farm – they really do keep us moving along on a day-to-day basis, and many of them bring along their own skills to teach to us! Their contribution, and donation of their time, is something we are endlessly grateful for.
‘Volunteering is something which can be incredibly rewarding too – the ‘feel good factor’ of helping others out, along with the connection with like-minded individuals and making new friendships, has a positive impact upon mental health. As a bonus, there is often about as much tea and coffee as you can stomach too – at least this is true of Fordhall’s volunteers!
‘If you are ready to dip your toe in, our team will be waiting with a lit campfire for you to ask all the questions you can think of! Just pop by the Greenwood Shelter, by the Community Garden, between 12:30pm-3:30pm on 7th June for our volunteer open afternoon. Who knows – maybe they’ll just convince you to sign up for our next volunteer weekend [22nd-23rd June]!’
To find out more about Fordhall’s volunteer programme at: www.fordhallfarm.com/volunteer or contact volunteering lead, Mike, on [email protected]
