Press Release 20 Mar 2009

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An award winning social enterprise is bringing a touch of rural life back to inner city Sheffield by transforming eight acres (3.2 hectares) of land into an urban farm thanks to a £230,000 grant from Local Food, a new funding programme supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

Green Estate, who work towards improving the open spaces of the deprived wards of Manor, Castle and Woodthorpe are one of the first organisations to receive funding from the £50 million Local Food Programme which will be funding food related community projects right across the county.

The ‘Manor Oaks Farm Enterprise’ project is part of an 18 hectare site being developed by Green Estate at Sheffield Manor Lodge. As well as urban cultivation the project will also develop a diverse farm enterprise, including an onsite farm shop, packaging facilities and Sheffield’s very own apple juice to be produced by local residents and community groups.

Sue France, CEO of Green Estate said:

“Increasing local food production in urban areas seems even more important at this time of rising energy prices and economic uncertainty.

“We are absolutely delighted with the award from the Big Lottery Local Food Programme which will allow us to build on some of the really excellent initiatives already happening in Sheffield.

“This spring we will start to bring land, which has not been farmed since the 1950’s back into production at Sheffield Manor Lodge. We’ve got a lot of learning to do ourselves and will be encouraging everyone to get involved in the process and help us to keep vital traditional skills alive.”

Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme Manager said:

“It is projects like this that have a wide and lasting impact on the community and we are happy to support them. The Manor Oaks Farm Enterprise project marks just the beginning in terms of Local Food grants. With a record £50 million to distribute to various groups we will begin to see a real change in the accessibility of local food.”

Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 15 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible.

-ENDS-