Communities Fund has provided £1,094 of match funding
Help Secure the Future of Loveland Community Field
Penryn, United Kingdom
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Aim
To protect what we've built and ensure Loveland Community Field can survive and grow as a community resource
Securing the future of Loveland Community Field
We want to show what’s possible when a community reclaims food production and restores the land.
Loveland is an 8-acre community field in Penryn, Cornwall - a space where food, nature and people flourish together. In just a few years a vibrant community has formed around this field - growing food, restoring biodiversity and sharing knowledge together. But without urgent investment in our infrastructure, this progress is at risk.
Since 2021, we have been transforming the land into a thriving agroecological growing site, hosting a market garden, a community veg plot, a medicinal herb garden, and space for community action. It is a place to grow, cook and eat together. A place to reconnect with nature and each other through work, education and play.
We are at a critical stage
To secure Loveland’s future, we urgently need to strengthen our capacity and infrastructure so we can:
- Grow more food year-round
- Increase climate resilience
- Protect and enhance biodiversity
- Increase opportunities for learning and connecting with each other
- Provide sheltered, accessible space for volunteers, learning and community events
We don't want to lose momentum. With your support, Loveland can become a flagship example of community-led food sovereignty, demonstrating what is possible when land is cultivated with care, collaboration and ecological responsibility.
Our impact
Loveland creates change in three interconnected ways: ecological food production, biodiversity restoration and community wellbeing.
Over the past year, we have:
- Grown over 3.5 tonnes of fruit and vegetables using organic agroecological methods
- Improved soil health and increased biodiversity across the site
- Hosted over 300 community members in bi-weekly volunteer sessions, workshops and events
- Worked with local schools and social prescribers to connect people with food growing and nature
- Hosted our annual BioBlitz events to record wildlife and tracked ecological improvements - in 2025, we recorded 23% more species than when we began in 2021!
- Actively engaged with other growers across Cornwall and the UK to strengthen the regional food system
- Created an open, welcoming space that celebrates seasonal traditions and cultural heritage
Many of these creative and educational core activities are difficult to fund through traditional routes. To continue and build upon these efforts, we need your support!
The challenges we face
In the last year, we have felt the impact of the climate crisis and our vulnerability here in Cornwall. Storms have flooded fields, damaged crops and infrastructure, and cut off power and water supplies. We are experiencing a pattern of stormier winters and drier summers, making food production increasingly unpredictable. At the same time, our wider food system is fragile. Relying on food produced far from where it is eaten - and on supply chains at risk of failure - highlights the urgent need for local resilience.
Meanwhile:
- Around 40% of the UK’s food is imported
- We are heavily reliant on other countries for fresh fruit and vegetables
- Cornwall spends approximately £500 million per year on food, 75% of which comes from outside the county. Reducing this by just 1% would reinvest £5 million into our local economy.
Local food resilience is not a luxury - it is essential!
Small ecological farms like Loveland are highly productive per acre, increase biodiversity, and build strong local economies. However, unlike large industrial farms, we receive no core agricultural subsidies.
Additionally, grant funding for our wellbeing programme is highly competitive, often requiring match funding. We are also committed to keeping our wellbeing and education programmes accessible to people on low or no income, making it difficult to cover core running costs through fees alone.
To remain resilient and grow, we need infrastructure that complements our vision, and your support will make this possible.
Can you help us?
Loveland is already showing what is possible when communities grow food in harmony with nature - now we need your help to secure its future. Every contribution, large or small, directly protects and grows this work. Your support will help fund:
- Weekly volunteer and community sessions, that promote learning, wellbeing, and connection
- Delivering our five-year biodiversity and conservation plan, through accessible practical workshops that teach valuable knowledge and skills
- Partnerships with local schools to inspire and empower young people to take climate action
- Rainwater harvesting and improved irrigation systems - critical as our summers grow drier
- A third polytunnel to increase year-round growing capacity
- Energy infrastructure as the first step towards our energy resilience
- Next steps in the planning and development of a barn for vegetable production, workshops, and community events - while providing essential shelter for our dedicated volunteers and growers
Our aim is to allow more people to access healthy food, learn vital skills, and participate in a food system rooted in care - for ourselves and the land we cultivate. For example, through our medicine garden we collectively learn ways of supporting a healthy lifestyle with herbs that we can grow ourselves; and in doing so combat isolation and promote well being through learning and working together.
With your support, we can secure a resilient, thriving future for this land and this community.
Thank you for helping us make this happen!
Be part of Loveland’s future
There are many ways you can support Loveland:
Donate
Every contribution helps us grow more food, strengthen biodiversity, and create a welcoming space for our community to learn, volunteer and connect with nature.
Choose a reward
Our rewards celebrate the spirit of Loveland - from seasonal produce to workshops and community experiences on the land. We also have generous contributions from local businesses who are supporting the project.
Share the word
Help our campaign reach more people by sharing it with friends, family and your wider networks. Every share makes a difference.
Thank you for supporting Loveland and our community!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 1st August 2026 at 10:47am