Help Sheffield farm mark 40 years in the city with milestone appeal

Sheffield’s Heeley City Farm is celebrating its 40th birthday this month – and urging visitors to help it mark the milestone anniversary.
Heeley City Farm.Heeley City Farm.
Heeley City Farm.

The farm began life on a former derelict housing site in 1981 and has grown to be one of the most popular visitor attractions in the city, especially with families.

As a certified rare breeds centre, Heeley City Farm provides a home to a wide variety of animals from the large, to the very small.

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The farm grows food organically across multiple sites which is used in food banks across the city, in other organisations, for volunteers and in the newly refurbished café, The Farm Kitchen, which is at the Heeley site next to a peat-free garden centre and children’s play area.

Heeley City Farm also delivers a range of wellbeing, training and development activities for people with learning difficulties, for young people and for volunteers.

Now charity bosses are urging the people of Sheffield to get involved in celebrating the anniversary as the pandemic means large planned events cannot yet go ahead.

Fans of the farm are invited to share pictures old and new, as well as their stories of visiting the organisation over the years.

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Sue Pearson, chief executive of Heeley City Farm, says: “The pandemic means our planned big celebration events will happen once restrictions are lifted.

“Until then we are celebrating online by sharing pictures from our vast photo archive of the farm ‘Past and Present’ and appealing for your stories and pictures to share too.”

Young Sheffielder Logan, aged 10 years old, has volunteered at the farm for over two years.

He said: “The farm helped me with my talking, helping me improve my sociability skills and my confidence around new people.

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“Without the farm I do not believe I would be in the place I am today and would not be the person I am.”

As a charity the farm doesn’t receive funding as a working rare breeds farm.

The funding for the care of the animals relies entirely on the generosity of the farm’s supporters.

If you would like to help the charity you can donate via the Heeley City Farm JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/heeleycityfarm

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