Supporting our work We are hugely grateful to the I am a UK taxpayer and would like the charity to reclaim many people who generously Gift Aid on my behalf (please tick) ___ give their time, their energy or any donation - large or small - I enclose a donation of £______made payable to in support of our work. Farms for City Children Pensioners, school children, churches, schools and businesses all help to raise funds for Farms for City Children. You can be part of it too!

We want to make sure that as many children as possible can visit our farms. With this in mind, we aim to raise over £300,000 each year, to subsidise the true cost of each child’s place. We must also raise money to maintain the three historic farm properties Feeding the kids at Treginnis which we are so lucky to have. Please update / add my contact details to your If you are a UK taxpayer, you newsletter mailing list: can make your donation under the Gift Aid scheme. This Name:……………………………………………………… allows FFCC to claim back an extra 25p in tax for every £1 Address:…………………………………………………… you donate...... If you would like to make a donation and/or join our e-mail……………….………………………………… mailing list, please fill in your details. Signed:…………………………………………Date…………

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Farms for City Children, Administrative Office, Bridge House, 25 Fore Street, Okehampton, , EX20 1DL

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Registered Charity number 325120 Winter Newsletter 2010

This autumn we celebrate the The orchards produce an amazing range of local and launch of ‘Wick Court Food traditional apples, perry pears, plums and gages. Next Farm’ at our farm in begins a programme of restoration, regeneration and . This exciting replanting. The children will help with pressing and project, funded by a grant from pasteurising the juice, including samples to take home at the Local Food Lottery, means the end of their week. that the children can now get even more involved in We launch Wick Court Food Farm on Sunday 24 completing the cycle of food October, with our first ever annual 'Pear Day' at the production on the farm. They farm. All welcome. For further information, please call already help to rear local breed Wick Court on 01452-741023 or visit our website. pigs, sheep and cows; they tend poultry, collect eggs and groom ponies; they work in the kitchen garden and they cook meals using the farm produce.

With this funding, we can renovate and equip the former cheese room for storing, drying, juicing and preserving Wick Court produce. We can provide our young farmers with plants, seeds, ingredients, recipes and the new colour Wick Court Cookbook (illustrated by the children) to take back to their schools and homes.

Celebrating the launch of ‘Wick Court Food Farm’ in front of the In preparation, and with help round house from the local orchard group, we have surveyed the three ancient orchards at Wick Court.

Christmas cheer!

We have several wonderful Christmas fundraising events coming up. Please join us if you can:

Nethercott Christmas Fair from 6pm on Friday 10 December - craft stalls, carol singing, mince pies, mulled wine and activities for children.

Michael Morpurgo narrates On Angel Wings, his nativity story Christmas card illustration by Quentin Blake seen through the eyes of a shepherd boy, at: We are delighted have this stunning Quentin Blake illustration for our Christmas card this year and we hope Southwark Cathedral, 6pm on that you will support our work and spread Christmas Saturday 18 December with cheer by sending them to your family and friends Prunella Scales and Timothy West. To book call 01837-55876 Here is what the children of Tower Bridge Primary School, London said about their week at Treginnis Christ Church Cathedral, Isaf on the Pembrokeshire coast, Oxford, 2.30pm on Sunday 19 December with Juliet “I felt happy when I went into the goat pen. I was a bit Stevenson. To book call scared at first but I went into the babies’ pen and they 01865-305305 chewed your coat. It was funny. I will never forget when I got chased by a turkey! Guildford Cathedral, 7.30pm I will never forget when we mucked out the pigs and Mrs on Tuesday 21 December with Ayriss said “smashing job, that’s the best pen I’ve seen”. Jenny Agutter. To book call I loved it when we got to milk the goats and when I fed 01483-547860 them the goat put his face near my hand but it didn’t hurt. I’ve had a very good experience because I was afraid of On Angel Wings is every single animal and now I’m not. accompanied by carols sung I felt happiest when I saw the lamb being born and being a cappella by Coope, Boyes able to hold one because I’d never done it before. and Simpson So many things I did were amazing like walking the horse, cleaning out poo, feeding chickens. I was afraid of dogs – but not anymore.”

New Vice-President “We will always remember: Following a recent visit to Nethercott in Devon, Michael Caines MBE has agreed to join Quentin Blake OBE, The huge space of the Monty Don, Carol Hughes and OBE – countryside amongst others – and become a Vice President of the How hard farmers have to charity. work. The porridge! Being close up to the animals. All the different animals. All the lovely food. How much walking we had to do. The big trees to play hide & seek. Climbing on logs and rolling down hills. I loved cutting veg and making bread.

The sky at night is like a picture. An afternoon’s potato lifting’ - Michael Caines at Nethercott House I feel calm with animals now with children from Prior Weston School, London EC1 not scared.” Michael Caines is an internationally acclaimed chef, with Children from Leigham two Michelin stars, known particularly for utilising the Primary School, Plymouth finest local and regional produce and ingredients. He is on their week at Nethercott executive chef at Gidleigh Park, the famous country hotel in Devon just outside Chagford and an Operational Partner and Director of ABode Hotels and Michael Caines Restaurants around the country.

Michael is a wonderful ambassador for our work and a great role model for the thousands of city children that come and spend a week on our farms each year. He has championed the importance of using seasonal, local produce and this chimes with what the children learn on our farms about the sources of their food and about eating freshly prepared food, shared at the table, free from the distractions of television, computers or mobile phones.

Gidleigh Park Hotel has regularly donated to our charity over a period of many years and we are grateful to Michael for building on that support.