The Lauriston Farm Social Farming Initial is slowly emerging into reality as our community share offer passed £14,400 yesterday on its way to the initial £20,000 target.  We have just over a week to secure the remaining £5,600 of share pledges and are working hard to give it every opportunity of succeeding.

A series of local talks by Farm Director, Spencer Christy, continues to raise local awareness of the project with excitement that it is the first farm business to become community owned in the County of Essex.  The last few open days are booking up fast and an email campaign at the weekend will keep all those interested up to date with progress.

If you have been thinking of becoming a shareholder now is the time to act!

Full details are available at www.lauristonfarm.co.uk/shareoffer

With only twelve days to go, Lauriston Farm has now secured pledges for over 60% of the initial target in their Community Share offer.  Fifty four people are now members with over £12,500 invested - can you help us get to the magical £20,000?  If so we will achieve triple match funding from Just Growth Programme.

Take a look at www.lauristonfarm.co.uk/shareoffer

Lauriston Farm was entrusted with looking after honey bees in 2005 and in the following year the hives were converted to a biodynamic principles. Since then, with the help of the Natural Beekeeping Trust (NBKT), our bees have continued to be healthy.  We only harvest honey for medicine and allow the Queen freedom to move throughout the hive.  reproduction is always by the bees natural method of swarming.

Our Social Farming Initiative will invest further into natural bee guardianship through more workshops, more Sun Hives, more flowers and an asset lock with the NBKT.  See our website for more information on how you can help this work and the bees in Essex.

Lauriston Farm's Social Farming Initiative is half way to fitting its first target on securing sales of 20,000 shares!

The initiative will integrate adults with learning difficulties into all aspects of the farm life and expand production - including the addition of the gorgeous rare breed Berkshire pig.

There are two weeks to raise the other half to secure match funding from Just Growth.

Come and be part of the community that owns and delivers this groundbreaking initiative for Essex.

Half way through our first ever community farm share offer, pledges have now been received for over 6,000 shares each valued at £1 which means we are over thirty percent of the way to reaching our first target of 20,000 shares.

Why not come and join us as we develop a body of warmth and support around our critical work aimed at conserving and enhancing the natural environment of the farm.  Through the gentle method of biodynamic farming you will also be supporting adults with learning difficulties opportunities to share in this meaningful work and learn new skills.

Sit back and enjoy this little piece of tranquility and hope....

Lauriston Farm's community share offer has now passed another milestone with over 5,000 share sales being pledged by twenty four people. 

The warmth body around the Society continues to grow as does our optimism about getting our Social Farming Initiative off the ground.

Why not come and join us?

Lauriston Farm Limited (www.lauristonfarm.co.uk) is a newly formed Charitable Community Benefit Society which manages the farm’s 210 acres of Demeter certified biodynamic land.  It is situated on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex and runs to the sea wall and over the wall into the salt marsh.  We are heavily orientated towards conservation as 90% of the farm is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Currently there is a thirty strong herd of Shetland cattle and some two hundred North Ronaldsay sheep.  We also have natural bee hives, a small vegetable garden and one acre of woodland.  We run educational activities including walks and workshops and have a strong volunteer program and are looking to build the farm community.

We plan to introduce Berkshire pigs and Ixworth chickens as well as cultivating seven acres of permanent pasture for animal feed and vegetables.  We are also expanding our social farming activities to include day experiences for adults who have mild to moderate learning difficulties.   
The successful candidate will ideally have at least two years practical biodynamic farming experience, especially with animals, and possibly some form of recognised qualification.  All the basic agricultural skills such as tractor driving, fencing, water work and livestock husbandry are needed. 

Experience of living and working in a Camphill or similar community and integrating adults with learning difficulties into the farm work would be helpful.  Working as part of the Society’s Executive Team, you will lead the day-to-day agricultural work with our agricultural team which includes the Farm Director, volunteers and co-workers.

Self-contained accommodation suitable for an individual or a couple comes with the position as does breakfast and lunch.  There are other opportunities on the farm in the garden, the kitchen, education and working with adults with learning difficulties which may suit a partner.  It is also possible to accommodate a family but this will need discussion.

Remuneration can be discussed depending on individual circumstances, but we generally pay the National Living Wage when accommodation is included.

An application with CV is required by April 11th 2017 with interviews later in the month for a mid-June start.

For further information please contact Spencer Christy (Farm Director)

Tel: +44 (0) 1621 788348 Email: spencer@lauristonfarm.co.uk
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Post: Lauriston Farm Limited, Lauriston Farm, Goldhanger, Essex CM9 8AH, UK

A very busy Thursday has seen a doubling in the pledges to buy Community Shares in Lauriston Farm Limited.  We now have secured pledges for 4,220 individual shares which equates to 21% of our initial target of 20,000 shares.

One investor today described how he felt the farm was opening up and enabling him to have a greater involvement in it.  Another said she just has to see the work continue and grow.  

Speaking of growing, have a look at this video of Meadow Rusty - a pedigree rare breed Shetland bull we recently borrowed from the Essex Wildlife Trust - as he first arrived on the farm.

Why not come on one of our Open Days and see Rusty in real life?