Dear Customers, Visitors and Supporters
Thank you for your valued support throughout the Farm including the Shop & Café. I am writing to let you know about some important changes taking place at the farmland this month.
When you visit the farm, much may appear unchanged on the surface. Behind the scenes, however, this has been a challenging period in the farm’s history working to address significant financial challenges. Like many charities, we rely heavily on grants and fundraising to support our charitable work, and despite considerable efforts, we have not been able to secure sufficient funding to sustain all our work with the community.
After exploring a wide range of options, the trustees have made the difficult decision to reduce staffing costs in order to safeguard the future of the farm and our community. As a result, our Volunteer Programme team (Liz, Will, and myself) and our Food Specialist (Pam) are all being made redundant.
Looking Forward
While one chapter is ending, we believe another is beginning. Alder Trust will continue to operate the Shop on Wednesdays and Saturday as normal. The Farmland will be open to visitors on these days. Therapeutic Gardening programme will also continue and our Site Technician (David) will remain in post, ensuring that the site is maintained appropriately.
The trustees’ priority has been to preserve the farm’s long-term future, maintain public access to the site, continue Therapeutic Gardening for schools, and protect as much of the volunteer programme as possible.
At the same time, I have been working with the other landowners to establish a new, independent charity focused on caring for the land and continuing the volunteer programme. We are encouraged that this approach offers a realistic and sustainable way forward. It creates an opportunity for the volunteer community to remain at the heart of the farm’s future while reducing dependence on grant funding.
Our mission remains unchanged: to nurture the potential of people and land.
Thank You
We hope you will continue to visit the Farm and Shop – your support, encouragement and presence mean more than ever.
If you have any questions, please do contact me directly.
With gratitude,
Richard Pitt
on behalf of the Alder Trust