Kindling Trust

We have been preparing the new strawberry beds at Kindling Farm. Mowing, power harrowing and ploughing and then covering.

Because in a few weeks time we receive 4,000 strawberry plants. 🙂

We are SO excited!

#organic #farming #horticulture

We have had a very successful recruitment drive & now have 3 amazing people joining the farm. We've a hugely experienced Farm Manager, Community Engagement Worker and a Systems Coordinator.

All were stand out candidates & live locally, bringing added local knowledge & relationships to the Farm. 🙂

Are you free this Saturday, Sunday or Monday? Fancy a day outside, great company and good food? We still have places on our upcoming Kindling Farm volunteer days with a range of tasks to suit everyone.
To find out more and sign up visit: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking

“It make you feel part of the solution for a more sustainable life, teaming w/ wonderful like minded people. You leave feeling that your hard work during the day was totally worthwhile”

Join us on 8th, 9th or 10th March as we continue to prepare for the growing season: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking

Kindling Farm seeks architects Kindling Farm seeks architects for the first stage of a hugely exciting project! We are looking for ecologically and socially focused architects to work with us to design the transformation of our bea...

We are looking for architects to work with us to design the transformation of our beautiful Victorian farm into a thriving hub and facilities for our communities.

For more information please visit: kindling.org.uk/news/kindlin...
Deadline for tenders: 14th March at 5pm.

A line of people holding up a huge mesh crop net in a green field under a grey sky.

Spent a great day volunteering at Kindling Farm @kindlingtrust.bsky.social yesterday as they prepared for their first growing season. I'm more of an organiser than a 'doer', but even I got out into the fields and helped wrangle the crop mesh 😁

Volunteering opps: kindling.org.uk/Calendar?fie...

We have lots of exciting opportunities to join the Kindling team this year, both at Kindling Farm and Kindling Market Garden!
For more details visit:
🚜kindling.org.uk/news
#CommunityEngagement #agroforestry #marketgardening #Communitywork

Deadlines soon for 2 exciting jobs we've at Kindling Farm.
We are looking for someone to help us deliver our Community Engagement programme & an Admin Assistant.
Deadline for the P/T Admin Assistant is this Thursday 16th Jan, applications for our F/T Community Engagement Worker is Monday 20th Jan.

Just back from the revitalising Oxford Real Farming Conf (#ORFC25). We ran a workshop on lessons we've learnt in our 1st yr on Kindling Farm. We've come back a little less daunted w/ our workload & the farming decisions we need to make. So big thank you to ORFC!
Photo credit: Hugh Warwick & ORFC

Government proposals will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature | Sustain Sustain reacts to latest plans announced at the Oxford Real Farming Conference to boost food production and farmer profits.

Govt's latest proposals for farmers will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature.

Sustain reacts to announcement at #ORFC to boost food production and farmer profits. 🔽

Thank you to everyone who came to our lunchtime farm deep dive on Kindling Farm's 1st year. Apologies to those of you who couldn't get in. #orfc25

This is just one of the amazingly informative sessions we will be going to at #ORFC25. As our 1st growing season on Kindling Farm fast approaches we are here to learn as much as possible from hugely knowledgeable growers, farmers and ecologists.

Really looking forward to #ORFC25. We are speaking at 1pm in the Council Chamber today. Just a quick Deep Dive sharing lessons from our 1st year on Kindling Farm.

It's not the start of the Oxford Real Farming Conference until @kindlingtrust.bsky.social buy you a pint

Here is a quick reminder of our 2025 volunteer days.
We have days focused on everything from tree planting and making nest boxes, to putting up polytunnels and servicing the tractors.
Find out more and to sign up at: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking #volunteering #volunteer

2025 goals? More exercise, meet new people, get outside more? Why not join us on 25th or 26th January? We'll be tree planting & maintaining our hedgerows.
Gr8 sense of achievement, great company & lovely food guaranteed 🙂
To find out more: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking
#newyearsresolution #volunteer

Over £9K of the current £10K now reached, but more support will help 2025 get off to a good start - and there's lots to do!

Today we are sending out all the certificates and thank you cards to those of you who have supported our Crowdfunder as a seasonal gift to a loved one.
We have been humbled by the level of support and really moved by your messages. So a heart felt thank you from Kindling Farm.

We're really looking forward to this tomorrow!

Make sure you sign up to this webinar from the @foodfoundation.bsky.social for a 30 min snap analysis of the year in food policy, featuring our lovely CEO Kath Dalmeny!

We've had a fantastic response this past yr from our supporters contributing 445.5 #volunteer days in 2024. Equal to 2 f/t staff members & smashes 2023's tally of 199 volunteer days.

To help out & get rewarded w/ lunch, sense of achievement & great company visit: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking

Kindling Farm are Recruiting! 🙂
We looking for a P/t Admin Assistant to join us at Kindling Farm in the New Year. Visit: kindling.org.uk/news to find out more and download our job description. Deadline for applications: 16th January 5pm. #jobopportunity #MerseysideJobs #charityjobs

We have just announced the dates for our first few 2025 volunteer days on Kindling Farm. We have days focused on everything from tree planting and making nest boxes, to putting up polytunnels and servicing the tractors.
Find out more and to sign up at: kindling.org.uk/EventBooking #volunteer

Helen had a rare night off the Farm last night thanks to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation & the UK Social Enterprise Awards.

"It was so energising to see so many amazing social enterprises working hard to create a better world"

Thank you @EsmeeFairbairn & @SocialEnt_UK
#SocEntAwards24 #SocEnt

It all looks like a bit of a muddy mess at the moment, But come the summer these ponds and scrapes at Kindling Farm will be buzzing with dragonflies and swallows. #Biodiversity #ponds #wildlifefriendly #farming

Work at Kindling Farm to create wet meadow scrapes for waders and open up our stream for water voles is going well. It looks pretty brutal at this stage, but once its all been landscaped, reseeded and the hazel hedge takes hold this Spring it will be all worth it.

Kindling Farm has 7 large ponds across the farm & tomorrow contractors start work reprofiling the pond edges, scrub clearance, scrape creation to encourage more wildlife. All part of the Farmland Species Recovery Project w/ Merseyside Env' Advisory Service. #biodiversity #farm #wildlife

Today Helen is modelling 5 layers of clothes and an electric blanket in the Kindling Farm office. The house is pretty cold and damp, despite all the work we did on it over the summer, but it takes a lot to dampens Helen's mood.

With our first growing season around the corner we are really grateful for these hard frosts. A wet mild winter would give us a really bad start to the season, with pests and weeds having a head start on us.

Kindling Farm had a landmark meeting w/ Unicorn Grocery yesterday exploring crops we'll be growing for them. Unicorn has been supportin us for years & to be sitting w/ the veg buying team over a spreadsheet of crops, varieties & sale volumes was a pretty incredible feeling & a long awaited moment.

My mum says she doesn’t want anything for Christmas, but I bet she’ll be happy that I’ve sponsored her an apple tree through these lovely people.