Hartcliffe City Farm & Windmill Hill – Inside the project with Sarah Mountford
We spoke to Sarah about her work with these 2 South Bristol farms and how she has utilised Can Do Bristol to recruit volunteers.
My Role
I am the Volunteer and Project Coordinator based at Windmill Hill City Farm. Part of my role is looking after volunteers at our other site which will be re-opening to the public this June 2022: Hartcliffe City Farm.
I enjoy working with our wonderful volunteers and seeing their confidence grow while they are here.
The organisation
Windmill Hill City Farm is over 40 years old. We offer people the chance to visit a green oasis in the heart of the city, somewhere to come and learn about food, farming, and looking after their environment. We are also a place that helps people recover from ill health and maintain their wellbeing.
Hartcliffe City Farm: Along with Heart of BS13, we have been working on re-opening Hartcliffe City Farm after two years of being closed. We have been busy working with volunteers since January getting the site ready to re-open on the 5th June. We have been inviting volunteers from the local community to get involved right from the beginning and help shape the site.
Can Do Membership:
I joined Can Do Bristol when we re-opened volunteering after our COVID closure. It was a great way to spread a wide message that the doors to volunteering had re-opened. We now use CDB to promote our less well known or new volunteering opportunities. It was an important part of us getting word out about volunteering at Hartcliffe City Farm.
Volunteer opportunities:
As Hartcliffe City Farm gets ready for its re-opening at the beginning of June, we are keen to have all our volunteering sessions full. We need people who will enjoy helping us - you might be painting, filling skips or wheel barrowing compost. Whatever tasks you help with, it will be a physically active session. Sessions will be taking place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, more details can be found on Hartcliffe City Farm’s website. It's such an exciting time to be involved in Hartcliffe City Farm. In terms of celebrating volunteers – One of the ways we show our appreciation is with Thank you lunch in June to tie in with national Volunteers Week.
Interested in volunteering at a City Farm?
Search "Farm" under the activity stream on Can Do Bristol to discover current vacancies for volunteers.
Here's one example: Community Gardeners needed: Heart of BS13 advert
To learn more about Hartcliffe City Farm click HERE
To learn more about Windmill Hill City Farm click HERE