New Year, New Beginnings, New Birth… (January 2021)
Welcome to 2021!
I apologise for being very late with sending out this newsletter, however the first few weeks of this new year have been as busy as several months in most other years.
The government guidance has changed from one day to the next once again. We were all expecting to be able to re-open the farm on the 5th of January, and then found out the night before that the nation was going into another lockdown. And this time it’s open ended, which means that everyone at the farm is just waiting for what the next review brings, and keeping things ticking over until then.
However, despite everything, life goes on…
…for some of us here at the Farm, quite literally.
I am very excited to get to be the one to share the good news with y’all.
Myself and Pippa are expecting goat kids, and Bluebell and Clover, the Shetland sheep, are expecting lambs.
We very much hope that by the time we all give birth in late March, the nation will be out of lockdown, and people will be allowed to come and visit us again!
A large part of the Farm’s income comes from visitors and services. It’s been difficult to be closed for much of 2020, and unable to run services, when we did open.
2020 has been a year bringing unprecedented hardship for so many.
In March 2020, when the Farm first closed its doors to help protect people, we lost income that in the previous year comprised 81% of our annual turnover. Similarly, in April 2020, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations warned of a £4.3bn shortfall for the charity sector – before the COVID crisis spiralled, leading to two further nation-wide lockdowns.
Receiving a humbling £80k in individual gifts from our supporters and visitors saved Vauxhall City Farm through a year where pressure of fundraising was at a critical level. Generosity and kindness of spirit of our supporters means we’re still here today. It has been your support, whether through donating or sharing our cause, which has leveraged additional grant support to keep the lights on.
However I think all of us had been hoping that things would get even just a little bit easier in 2021, and so far, they haven’t…
The constant changes in Government guidance has been very difficult for everyone at the Farm.
We still need to keep doing all we can to raise funds that support core operations at the Farm and that will save us from closure. This new year brings hopeful news, but it also brings further uncertainty. Each and every donation and action of support is vital in providing security for the Farm.
Regular gifts go even further, so please consider the gift of regular giving
Pledging just £5 a month – perhaps the cost of two take away coffees you’re currently not buying – will have real impact in providing financial stability. Regular support means so much to us. It is an easy and more cost effective way to support the Farm, helping us successfully navigate what is likely to be an uncertain year ahead of us.
We know you’ll be here with us through this. Thank you.
Your donation will go towards supporting our efforts to develop more remote activities – such as Vauxhall City Farm TV and our After School Club – which has moved online entirely for the time being – as well as supporting our efforts to preserve rare native livestock breeds – such as myself, the Golden Guernsey goat – by ensuring my kids, once they are born, will have a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.
And of course the same goes for Pippa’s kids, and Clover and Bluebell’s lambs, as well as all the other animals here at Vauxhall City Farm.
Read about Guernsey Goats on our website
While the farm is on a government mandated timeout, a great way of staying connected with your favourite farm animals here at Vauxhall City Farm, is social media!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe on YouTube, and I hope we will be able to see each other soon!
All my love
Peaches, the (soon to be Mummy) Goat
