Friends of Firs Farm - Urgent Appeal

Aim

Help us to raise the last bit of crucial funding to make the Firs Farm Community Space happen.

We are building an amazing café and community space in Firs Farm Wetlands. 

We have now raised OVER £300k. The modular building was delivered on site 31st January 2023. However, we still need to raise funds to kit it out, so we need your help.

Our Story 

• The Friends of Firs Farm started as a small group of local residents in 2014 when Firs Farm was an under-used muddy field. 
• The Firs Farm Wetlands project was a collaboration between Enfield Council, Environment Agency, Thames Water, Thames21 and The Friends; the first sustainable Wetlands (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) in North London.

• Since the official opening in 2016 volunteers have planted thousands of trees and shrubs, donned their waders & wellies to keep the water clean, and litter-picked; working together to create and conserve the habitat whatever the weather!

• However, the lack of facilities is limiting access and how long people can stay.

Help Us Build the Community Hub

We will build the community hub which will be run as a social enterprise, with profits ploughed back into securing the future of Firs Farm wetlands; encouraging more local people to ‘Get Out & Get Active’ and providing a valuable environmental learning & community space.

The Hub Will Provide: 

• The Café will serve fresh, locally sourced hot and cold food, drinks and refreshments.
• A welcoming place for people to meet up, with flexible community space that can be used for educational, fitness, social and other activities.
• Essential facilities, including the Changing Places Toilet.
• A place to learn more about the importance of urban wetlands to our well-being and that of the planet. 
• The facilities provided by the Hub will be pivotal in regenerating the under-used sports pitches adjacent to the wetlands & community hub. There is a shortage of playing pitches with facilities in the local area. Help us create a great space for the girls and the boys to play football and other team sports!
• We see the addition of a defibrillator at the Hub a key piece of equipment. With this in mind we need to raise additional funds this and to train all our key volunteers in First Aid appropriate for the Hub and the outdoors.  
• We will resume and expand our educational programmes and community events at Firs Farm including a summer festival, our famous Halloween activities and National Children’s Day.

Our Vision  

The Friends want the Hub to be a thriving welcoming space for the community, with all the essential facilities for our visitors and hardworking volunteers to work, rest and play. 

In the coming years, it will be used for a range of activities for those aged 0 to 100! 

We envisage baby and toddler groups, free fitness classes, coffee mornings and much much more. We want to build a warm inviting place that brings the whole community together.

With the community hub, we will be able to welcome even more people to this amazing blue-green space; which delivers so many benefits – which we summarise using the acronym H.E.R.B.S.  

Covid Setback

Covid lockdowns delayed the granting of planning permission and all our fundraising stopped.

Meanwhile, people continued to come to Firs Farm, with many telling us how much they appreciated having access to this tranquil green and safe oasis during the pandemic. 

Covid highlighted the problems of social isolation and the need for people to spend more time out of doors for their mental and physical wellbeing.

Post-Covid  

Planning permission and lease have now been agreed with Enfield Council to construct an exciting, environmentally friendly community hub, on a disused site between the sports fields and the wetlands.

The Friends have already raised £200k from various bodies including Enfield Council, Sport England, Thames Water, the general public and a range of businesses, who all see the enormous benefits this community hub can deliver.

How YOU Can Help

We need to find an additional £100k for the Hub to be built by the end of the year as required by sponsors.

YOU can help us by donating NOW to create an amazing community hub

Why This is URGENT

We have a deadline to get our final specification order to the manufacturers. They also have a deadline to begin ordering the necessary materials so that they are ready to begin on their production line on the 5th December 2022.  With each £10,000 that we raise we can add more of the building fit out onto the production line. 

We have an expected delivery to the Firs Farm site by early January.  Then the magic begins:  

The modules are then sealed together to form the Hub. 

Works begin on the internal fit out to make it a fantastic welcoming space for all. 

We believe with YOU this is achievable.  So please donate what you can to help us raise the necessary funds in the next 90 days and ask others to also support where they can. Thank you.

                 Together we can do it!  

Rewards

To thank you for your support we have put together some rewards.

Please pledge what you can, then post on social media and help spread the word by telling your friends, family and neighbours about Firs Farm Wetlands.

We look forward to welcoming you to Firs Farm Community Hub in 2023 

Please donate anything you can give will help us get to our target and build this amazing space for our community.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made