events archive

We All Can Do It Ourselves
We were met by Fiona, the manager of Acorn Farm for 20 years.
The site is an old munition factory and so it is on rubble. Two of the participants had parents who had worked at the munitions factory.

The farm has developed from a couple of rabbits and a gerbil. It was started by a local special needs lecturer who wanted to get his students out into the real world solving real problems. It has always been inclusive.

Now it has a building with caf, offices and shop, a 'handling the animals and education' room, a commercial growing area, hens, rabbits, horses, cows, pigs and goats on 7 acres.

The participants thought the area of land was very close to the area in front of the learning centre, but Acorn Farm also has further grazing land and now a wild wood area working with the BBC to promote insects and small mammals.

It is a fine balance between raising money and commercialism and people definitely come before profit. It does provide fruit, veg, pot plants, goats milk ice-cream a shop and caf and charges a small entrance fee of 2 per adult.

Participant comments
'I have never seen baby pigs before, I have never seen a pig before, I had no idea they were so big.'

'I would never buy Goats milk but this ice-cream is delicious.'

'It gives me hope to see ordinary people like me have done this '

'My family were in Kirby we were one of two black families, we went back to Granby I never knew this was here.'

'I will bring my family but how can we get here from Liverpool?'

'I have never seen a place like this before, Canning street was a bit like this but too small.'

'It is important to find people with the sort of commitment they have here, out all the time through thick and thin.'

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