Hello,
We are Kerry & Martin and in Spring 2019 we purchased the Railway Farm Shop & Market Garden.
We soon discovered that what we have is special to many and much more than a traditional, timber built farm shop - so we've hatched a plan and need YOUR SUPPORT (please). Together we can remodel one of our existing polytunnels and land into an eco-friendly community garden providing fresh, home grown veg at an affordable price to the local community.
One of our polytunnels and its surrounding area will be transformed into a usable space for community groups and local school children. It would act as a social hub and community garden for those wanting to get involved with our 'dig days' or just sit down for tea, cake and a natter!
We wish for the farm to become a place to ‘take a breath’ - to stop, relax and come back to self-care. This is known as ‘social farming’ and it's good for us all.
Whilst the area will be open to all, our primary focus will be the older generation to help combat loneliness whilst encouraging physical exercise and positive mental wellbeing.
We are on a mission to educate people to think about where their food has come from. We also love to challenge them to eat seasonal food they wouldn't ordinarily try. Our weekly veg box scheme is testament to this.
In short - Our aim is to bring the community closer together whilst educating, enhancing and improving visitor experience.
We love Suffolk!
Covering 155 square miles and on our doorstep, the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a stunning unspoiled landscape which attracts locals and visitors alike.
On top of all this Suffolk has exceptional small scale producers only a very short drive from the farm shop. Therefore, it’s easy to make regular visits to suppliers, keeping a low carbon footprint and ensuring fresh seasonal produce is available to sit alongside what we grow.
Small scale agriculture is the future. We don’t need motorisation which leads to increased diversity and soil biology and ultimately more fertile, healthier and tastier plants without the need for GMOs and pesticides. It's a win, win!
What brings all these fantastic qualities together is the people, who are happy to support and try new things with enthusiasm, energy and care towards their community.
Why we need to start eating local produced food:
Supporting local businesses is now more important than ever. As we leave the EU, tariffs put in place to support farmers to ensure a solid income could be dropped, therefore putting them at risk of decreased income. They need all the support they can get.
It is important we know where our food is coming from, how many miles it has travelled and whether it is as fresh as it could be; by knowing its locality, we reduce our carbon footprint massively, instead of eating produce that may have been shipped or flown in, then driven and manhandled multiple times.
One of the most important philosophies we believe in is supporting our local economy; with the majority of produce either home grown or coming directly from farm to shop. It means we reduce our supply chain and can, therefore, provide farmers with a more reliable income and our customers with better prices.
So, we need just some of your hard-earned cash - but why?
One of our existing polytunnels needs some (major) work before it can become our community hub as does the surrounding area to become a beautiful garden that's the talk of the town (or village in our case).
Being off grid with no mains electricity or sewage a compostable toilet is required, the uneven car park needs to become more user friendly, broken fencing replaced (some of which we've repaired already) and general jobs to ensure we're H&S compliant which are ongoing.
Our initial target is £8,000. This is the minimum amount we need to get the project up and running. Our optimum target is £11,000 which will become our stretch if we are successful, allowing us to fulfil the dream.
If you say it quickly it doesn't sound that scary especially when we have your support - whether that's 800 x £10, 160 x £50 or 1 x £8,000 we don't care and to show our appreciation we have a range of rewards as a thank you from us.
We'll say it again - THANK YOU.
Best wishes,
Kerry & Martin