On Wednesday 30 April, the Kent Community Foundation team of grant makers rolled up their sleeves for an afternoon of volunteering at Wye Community Farm.
Before getting to work, the team gathered at the farm to enjoy a relaxed and sociable lunch together. They were joined by Richard Boden, Project Manager at Wye Community Farm, who gave an inspiring tour of the site and shared insights into the wide-ranging programmes the farm delivers for volunteers, disadvantaged young people, and local schools. Richard explained how the farm offers vital hands-on experience, and explained that each year, one or two young people go on to study at farming or veterinary college, a testament to the power of early opportunity and encouragement.
The Kent Community Foundation team split into three groups for their afternoon of hands-on volunteering. One group relocated a dozen chickens into a new coop, cleaned the old hen house, and built a new perch for their feathery residents. Another team stripped out a trailer ready for a new base, while the third updated all the farm’s first aid kits. A highlight for many was the friendly orphan lamb that insisted on following the volunteers throughout the afternoon, quickly earning the title of honorary office mascot!
Catherine Glover, Chief Executive of Kent Community Foundation, said, “Wye Community Farm is a fantastic example of grassroots community impact. From supporting young people who are struggling in mainstream education to offering rehabilitation opportunities through skills-based volunteering, their work changes lives. It was a real pleasure for our team to give back to a project we’ve supported for so many years and the welcome we received was truly heartwarming.”
Kent Community Foundation has supported Wye Community Farm since 2010, awarding grants for a wide range of needs including IT equipment for their classroom, core operational costs, their Farm Clubs for disadvantaged children, and funding to support educational school visits.
To contact leading grant maker Kent Community Foundation about funding for charities and community groups with an annual income under £3m, or to discuss setting up a fund please email admin@kentcf.org.uk or visit www.kentcf.org.uk/funding
About Wye Community Farm
Wye Community Farm was founded in 2007 by local residents with the aim of reconnecting people with how their food is produced. Wye Community Farm provides volunteering and training opportunities in areas including livestock care, horticulture, wool processing and rural crafts.
About Kent Community Foundation
Leading grant-maker Kent Community Foundation has been finding, funding, and supporting some of the smallest voluntary groups in the county for over twenty three years. In this time, it has distributed £60 million to support thousands of small charities and deserving causes where a modest sum of money can make a significant impact.
Kent Community Foundation is part of a UK wide accredited network of forty-seven Community Foundations who are committed to improving the lives of local people and communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged by matching those who want to help, with those who need the help.
Responsible for more than one hundred philanthropic funds, Kent Community Foundation is unrivalled in its knowledge of local causes and assists individuals, families, and businesses who want to help, to establish and administer their own charitable funds.
Kent Community Foundation funding priorities –
- Children, Young People & Families
Supporting disadvantaged children and young people’s physical and mental health, encouraging positive choices and staying safe. - Vulnerable Adults
Helping those who may need extra care dealing with challenging issues or those at risk of social exclusion or discrimination.
3. Elderly and Isolated
Enabling elderly adults to stay well, healthy, independent and free from social isolation.
4. Employability, Skills & Enterprise
Creating opportunities to develop skills and confidence and have a positive impact in areas and groups of people with high unemployment.
5. Environment
Encouraging community action to improve and protect local spaces with support sustainable ways of living.
