Time is free, but it’s priceless (August 2020)
My dear friends,
It has not been long since I last wrote to you at the beginning of the year, and at the same time, it feels a lifetime ago.
I posed in January that ‘may you live in interesting times‘, and the times certainly have been interesting. Unprecedented is the word that’s currently being used more than any other, but unprecedented isn’t always all bad.
Yes, the current situation has certainly challenged us as a charity, but it has also enabled us to explore and adapt in ways we hadn’t done or even thought of before. And there’s some wonderful things that have come out of all this…
One of our proudest achievements to come out of the time the farm has been closed to the public, is the launch of Vauxhall City Farm TV.
Thanks to funding from the Walcot Foundation, the Westminster Foundation, and City Bridge Trust, and the hard work of staff, volunteers, and of course our beautiful (always camera ready!) animals, we have been able to create content for young people to engage with, from the safety of their homes.
Two new videos will be released every Thursday for 12 weeks. Please head over to Vauxhall City Farm TV, check out the videos available, and sign up to receive alerts for future videos as soon as they go online, and some bonus behind the scenes content!
We like to keep people on their toes, so after two weeks of assessing visitor flow at the farm, we have decided that we’re going to reverse the one way system.
What does this mean for you?
– Entrance to the farm will be through the Vauxhall City Farm arch (pictured above)
– The one way system will first take you to visit our chickens, turkeys, and rabbits, before taking you past the various large animals, ending at the duck pond and cafe
– The exit will be through the duck pond gate
Hand washing on entering the farm, exiting the animal area, and before leaving as well as all hand washing stations remain the same.
Please head over to our website for full details.
And while you are at the farm, make sure to check out the cafe!
The Old Dairy Café is open from Tuesday – Sunday, 10.30am – 3.30pm
The farm will be closed to the public on the next two Wednesdays and Thursdays for the Lambeth and Southwark’s Summer Programme, however you can still access the cafe via the gate by the duckpond on those days, for your perfect cup of coffee!
Come and visite the farm cafe!
‘Vauxhall City farm, just a short bus or tube ride from Brixton, reopens after the lockdown.
While Vauxhall City Farm was closed to the public during the lockdown, work for Monica Tyler and her team did not stop. Animals still needed to be fed and cleaned, despite the enforced closure depriving the farm, which is a charity, of 80% of its income.’
Simone Richardson talked to chief executive Monica Tyler
Thank you Brixton Blog for taking the time to help spread the message about reopening the farm, as well as the ongoing challenges we face, and for arranging it so Monica gave me extra pets and food, while you were doing it.
That’s the news from me for this month, as the year steadily races towards its end. I’m sure I’ll be practising Christmas carol’s before too long and trying to work out how to roast chestnuts and whether an open fire is actually allowed in a pig sty… so many questions! So few answers!
Anyway, until I’ve figured it all out, go and check out my contribution to Vauxhall City Farm TV because as the film crew correctly established, I’m on of the most popular animals on the farm, so you wouldn’t want to miss out!
After all, they didn’t have to work very hard to get my good side, because I have ONLY good sides.
Lots of Love
Jenny
