Hello and welcome to our bumper summer newsletter!
It’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch and that’s because we’ve had huge developments going on behind the scenes. We’ve got a new website, a new Director, and the start of our new barn!
Read on for more details plus a tenant update from The Bee Observatory.
First here’s a summary of upcoming Events, Volunteer and Job Opportunities
Our next family volunteering days will be on
- Saturday 24th September and
- Saturday 22nd October
We will be on the farm from 10 am – 2 pm. You can join us at any time and all ages and abilities are welcome. We would love for more people to join us and always have a range of activities to suit everyones skills and energy.
Our Haven Team will be meeting on Friday 16th September at 1pm. This team specifically focus on shaping the future vision for our Haven field. All welcome to join, including children if they have a parent/guardian with them. If you want to join in but can’t make this date, please get in touch.
We are also looking for a volunteer with a van who would be willing to help transport a large amount of hazel from Bowbridge Lane to the Haven where we can put it to use by our new youth group. Could this be you?
Finally, there are two exciting paid roles available to work with our tenants Stroud Micro Dairy. They are currently recruiting for a farm worker and a new dairy manager. More info on their website.
Pics below: Before and After, progress made on our most recent volunteer day to reclaim this footpath from brambles.
An update from the OCBS Board of Directors
2 and half years since our initial share offer, our new barn is finally taking shape! We broke ground at the end of July and – as you will see if you visit the farm – our foundations and steel frame work are now in place. Huge thanks for your patience while this work is going on and we ask you to bear with us a little while longer – we are confident this is going to create huge opportunities for the farm.
As well as providing our existing tenants with much needed processing and storage space, the barn once finished will create a central hub for the site, allow us to hold more public events and potentially attract new tenants too. Our contractors have also made improvements to the landscaping of our entrance (goodbye pot-holes!) and to our culvert bridge.
To date we have raised approximately £80.000 in community funds towards the barn, and thanks to a heroic effort by fellow Director Lucas Schoemaker taking his laptop on holiday with him, we were able to secure another £24.000 from the AONB under the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme. Due to the sharply risen prices this gives us the frame, the roof and half the walls and floor; and a processing and packaging space for ZeroDig and their fabulous veg.
We need more! Our next and final phase of barn development will involve another round of fundraising, and will allow us to complete the other half of the barn units as well as disabled access measures, additional fencing, much needed signage and volunteer tools. Altogether this will make us a more viable enterprise providing local, organic, Biodynamic food. Watch this space for future updates…
We are thrilled to have filled one of two Director vacancies on the OCBS board. This August we welcome Ruth Laidler to the board who brings unique experience and heaps of passion. She says:
“I’m delighted to be joining Oakbrook Community Farm at such an exciting time. The tenants, directors and volunteers have already achieved great things and have ambitious plans for the future.
Having worked for international businesses as well as local and national charities, I have a broad set of skills and experience to contribute. In addition to working behind the scenes with my fellow directors to ensure a secure and thriving future for the farm, I am looking forward to, quite literally, getting my hands dirty!
I’m lucky to live just a short distance from the farm and it’s on one of my regular walk routes. A visit never fail to lift my spirits and I feel very privileged to be involved in this amazing place.”
We are also getting ready to see the final stage of our Ash removal work completed this September. Sadly after professional inspection, none of our highly infected Ash is considered safe to remain in the Haven field were we regularly host groups. However we look forward to exploring options for replanting and are excited to collaborate with some of our young haven users on this project. If anyone else is interested in joining the Haven Team who will oversee this project please get in touch.
We were recently reminded of the importance of our tree care when our ancient Beech, one of the oldest trees on the farm estimated to be over 300 years old, suffered a massive failure during the 30+degree weather and dropped 2 giant limbs. Summer branch drop can occur during heat waves and we were prepared for this to happen. Thankfully these branches fell neatly inside the existing fence around our Beech and the rest of the tree remains in great condition to carry on peacefully in its retirement.
We continue to see other impacts of climate change across the farm. Sadly this year the grass crop on our arable field – normally used to make silage for winter feed – has failed due to drought. However, in a timely development the board were delighted to approve an application from our tenants Oakbrook Orchard, to expand their project from 2 tree rows to 9, which will extend the agroforestry system across the whole field.
The tree rows are spaced 20m apart, allowing other cultivation to happen in the space between the rows. Over time, the approximately 150 new apple, pear and plum trees will help to moderate extreme temperatures, improving the local microclimate and offering protection to soil, crops and livestock on the field.
Tenant update by Christian at the Bee Observatory
The Bee-Observatory had two new swarms this year, both were collected from gardens in Stroud and are doing well so far. Unlike other agriculture the bees did very well with the drought. Especially on a farm with its own brook – which did not dry out – and some irrigation on the horticulture and lots of thistles and brambles (which both are great bee plants).
Unfortunately because of my busy life I did not have any open days at the Bee-Observatory this year. From now until the end of the (Indian) summer is still a very good time to visit the bees, ideally between 1.30 and 3.30pm. I would like to offer to any groups of 4 or more to just get in touch with me on 07500733181 or email bee.observatory@gmail.com to arrange visits (for Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays).
Buzz!
Christian
We are still applying the finishing touches but our new website is up and running. Thanks to member and supporter Andy Freedman for contributing his time and talent taking photos across the farm.
You can now get mixed salad bags produced by our tenants Zerodig from the incredible team at The Long Table in Brimscombe. They are available on a pay-as-you-can basis with a recommended donation amount if you’re able to contribute.
There was more progress on our slow but steady task of completing the new Haven compost toilet by our volunteers last week – good news as we recently received several new bookings for private parties and youth groups. Great to see the Haven gaining popularity!
Alongside the barn construction, the team at the dairy have been busy working away at their new extension. When finished the new dairy building will have a bigger customer collection area plus more room for processing and storage.
It’s a fantastic year for blackberries and the farm is covered in them! We encourage you to bring a punnet and some friends, and come and collect as many as you can carry.
That’s all from Oakbrook Farm for now.
Until next time, we wish you an abundant harvest.
Leigh, on behalf of Oakbrook Community Benefit Society