Good tidings and good cheer!
Happy New Year everybody!
We may be moving into the Year of the Rat, but until the 24th January, our rats Wallace & Gromit are just going to have to sit down and wait, because it is still the Year of the Pig and I am planning on taking full advantage!
Born in 2011, I have experienced most of the decade we are leaving behind, and let me tell you, the changes I have seen at the farm in my time have been extraordinary. Some sad, some delightful, all interesting, and as they say… ‘May you live in interesting times!’
So please indulge me while I look back on 2019 and forward to 2020!
I hope you enjoyed the festivities the way you wanted, be that with friends and excitement; or quiet days and a good book or movie.
We definitely opted for excitement here at the farm! Thank you to all who came to the farm, visited Santa’s Grotto and attended Wreath Making workshops.
You are what made the season festive!
(Pictured: Two of our trustees, Alison Ewen & Alison Mohammed with their friend Lindsay).
The farm will remain closed to the public for another week, reopening on Tuesday 14th January; and we will be back with a bang!
Tune into BBC One on Tuesday 14th January 2020, at 15:45 when Vauxhall City Farm features on Series 4 of The Farmers’ Country Showdown.
Meet the people that visit Vauxhall City Farm, attend our workshops, and benefit from our programmes. Find out what it takes to move all the animals down to the Lambeth Country Show every year, and how important the show is to our fundraising efforts to keep the farm going.
There is a total of 20 episodes that will air every weekday at 3.45pm (repeated the following day on BBC Two at 7.15am). The show celebrates inspirational farming families and the rural events where they showcase their hard work.
I just hope they filmed my good side!
As the BBC programme will hopefully make very clear, we couldn’t do everything we do at the farm without our amazing volunteers!
Our next recruitment days are on the 8th and 25th of January, 10.30am or 12.30pm so make sure you get your application form in soon, if you’d like to become a volunteer!
We feature one such an amazing person on our farm blog this month: Stacey Strachan. Not only does she volunteer her time, she is also running at least two half marathon’s in 2020 to fundraise for the farm!
Sponsor Stacey’s efforts now
“So in honour of Ben, Tom, and Jerry, I am running the Big Half & the Hackney Half, though as I type this I am considering signing up for the Edinburgh half as well. And one day it’s my dream to run the London Marathon. Let’s see if the boys inspire me to achieve that dream!”
Our development programme New Shoots is back in 2020, with a launch event on the 22nd January, 6pm-8pm
New Shoots supports unemployed young people aged 16 – 25 to:
– Achieve and gain an accredited qualification
– Identify goals & pathways to success
– Build the confidence, self esteem and motivation to succeed
– Develop REAL skills that employers look for
– Gain valuable practical experience, qualifications and knowledge
– Boost communication skills & self-confidence
– Participate in work experience
– Meet new people
Sign up or refer someone now
Something else that starts in January is our Sheep to Scarf Workshop: Over the course of 4 Saturdays our experiences spinners will teach you the art of preparing and spinning wool from the alpacas and sheep at the farm, which you will then knit into a unique scarf or hat!
Sessions will run Saturdays, 2-4pm on the 18th & 25th January and the 8th & 15th February.
Book your space now
Urban Roots is back every week, from the last Saturday in January onwards!
Urban Roots is a Saturday morning club which inspires young people, aged 8-14 to get involved in all aspects of the farm and take part in some great indoor and outdoor activities.
Book your spaces now
That’s all from me for January.
I’m going to enjoy my remaining 3 weeks of the year of the ME, and I wish you all a wonderful start to 2020!
I look forward to seeing you at the farm when we reopen on Tuesday 14th January, and I really hope you will all watch my humans and all the other animals on The Farmers’ Country Showdown on the 14th, at 3.45pm on BBC1 or on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
No one at the farm has seen the programme, so we are all super excited about it!
The Chinese Zodiac says: Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life and I couldn’t agree more! I hope some of my good fortune will rub off on all of you!
Lots of love,
Jenny the Pig
