Whistle stop tour...
JENNY THORNHILL
Christmas
Christmas for us lasted all December; the online ordering system was a huge success and resulted in very manageable numbers and queues on the 23rd and 24th December. A huge thank you to all those that responded so positively to our plea to order early and shop for your non-essentials before the final week of Christmas.
We had amazing feedback to our ‘one-way’ farm safari route, slowly past the milking herd loafing in the cow yard on one side and curious calves on the other, then a sharp right over the cattle grid and on into the car park, where you could park and shop or just pullover at the barn and have your Christmas order put in your boot and then drive away.
Things to note for next year – our sales of bread, houmous and sprouted beans always nose dive in December – why is that?
Spring House (our new farmhouse)
The new farmhouse is looking great, it sits really nicely in its position at the bottom of the farm. It’s not finished yet but it is watertight. There is still the internal fit out to do. We have been extremely fortunate to have Douch Builders doing the build and we can feel confident of the standard of work when we aren’t able able to be on site all the time.
We had hoped to pay for the house through fundraising, but this has been tricky, and has not been helped by having to cancel various events due to Covid. We are extremely grateful to those who have made donations so far which enabled us to start the build and to keep the project on track. The farm business decided to step in and fund the rest of the build, however this means that our ‘into glass and out of plastic’ project will now have to be achieved mainly through fundraising rather than combined fundraising and funds from the business. We had planned to fund this major capital expenditure primarily from the business and the house through fundraising but this has now been flipped on its head. Housing is a priority on the farm and it is important to complete one project before starting another.
We are now looking to Douch Builders to do the internal fit out of Spring House as well, they are very keen to see the house completed and are offering us not only a very competitive quote but generous terms to enable us to finish the job and get Gala, George and Elsie living there by the summer. We look forward to inviting you to see the completed house in the near future.
Covid
It’s hard to remember the times when customers could just walk into the shop without having to queue outside. Since having to find new ways of working last March, we’ve not had to make too many major changes to what we initially set up, just a few tweaks here and there. Our aim is to try to ensure that those that feel most vulnerable and anxious (whether they are customers or staff) can be in the shop and feel comfortable in an environment where they have space and feel everyone is being considerate.
We’d like to see all customers wearing a mask in the shop, unless they are exempt. This will really assist the shop staff in feeling more comfortable and reassured about coming into a work environment where we deal with over 200 customers a day. That’s a lot of contact.
If you support the work of the farms wear a mask 😷. And why not for 15 minutes, if it makes others in the community feel safer. Surely that is enough of a reason? A huge thank you to all of you that already do, it is much appreciated.
Brexit
So far, the only vegetable and fruit shortages have been weather related, not unusual particularly in the winter months.
Food bank
Thanks to many many contributions to the Christmas food bank from so many of you we were able to contribute a huge amount of food including a lot of fresh fruit and veg to two local organisations at Christmas. This food went towards providing Christmas lunch for families in the local area who suffer from food poverty.
Now we are again raising funds to support families in need; in particular those children and families that would normally rely on free school meals. The aim is to provide as much fresh food as possible.
Online ordering ‘Click + Collect’
We will continue to offer this service for as long as it is needed, we enjoy doing it and it is open to everyone. You can then collect your order with ‘no contact’ or, if collection isn’t possible, we can deliver within an approximate 5-mile radius (free of charge). Please email your orders the day before you need it, ideally by 2pm.
