Vauxhall City Farm History Weekend! 30 June and 1 July

What’s it all about? The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG), a charity which supports and creates opportunities for local communities to grow, has been awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to record a new oral history around the growth of the UK’s city farms and community gardens. A landmark project to coincide with the 30th anniversary celebrations of the FCFCG (and no doubt the 35th anniversary of Vauxhall City Farm!), this record is the first of its kind in documenting the growth of this pioneering movement from its origins in the 1960s. How is Vauxhall City Farm involved? Vauxhall City Farm has been selected as one of the city farms to be included in the project. The goal is to capture as much ‘eye witness’ information as possible from all those associated with the farm over its 35 years: members, volunteers, allotment holders, Trustees, local community groups, staff and visitors . What will happen? The research will be carried out mainly through group discussion sessions and one-to-one interviews. All contributions will be captured in audio, video and photographic formats (of course subject to your consent), of which participants will be offered free copies as a token of our thanks for taking part in the project. The Farm will also be running a drop-in History Desk during this weekend so that, if you are unable to attend specific sessions or they are fully booked, someone will be on hand to capture your experiences and views on the farm: the highs, the lows and your expectations for its future! Timetable Saturday 30 June Venue: Vauxhall City Farm classroom Sessions facilitated by the FCFCG History Project Manager: Tracy Craggs 12 noon – 1.15pm Witness Seminar A (up to 10 people) 1.15pm – 2.30pm Witness Seminar B (up to 10 people) 2.30pm – 3.00pm BREAK 3.00pm – 3.30pm 1:1 interview 3.30pm – 4.00pm 1:1 interview 4.00pm – 4.30pm 1:1 interview 4.30pm – 5.00pm 1:1 interview Venue: Vauxhall City Farm rain temple/ recycled hut depending on weather 12 noon – 5pm Drop in sessions: short video interviews, paper-based surveys and referral to an online survey Sunday 1 July Venue: Vauxhall City Farm classroom Sessions facilitated by the FCFCG History Project Manager: Tracy Craggs 9.00am – 9.30am 1:1 interview 9.30am – 10.00am 1:1 interview 10.00am – 11.15am Witness Seminar C (up to 10 people) 11.15am – 12.30pm Witness Seminar D (up to 10 people) Venue: Vauxhall City Farm rain temple/ recycled hut depending on weather 9.00am – 1pm Drop in sessions: short video interviews, paper-based surveys and referral to an online survey What happens next? Following the Vauxhall City Farm History Weekend, all recollections will be submitted to the archive that is being created to bring together all the findings of the FCFCG’s work. A full summary of the findings will be placed on the FCFCG website at the end of the project and a celebration event will take place at the Museum of Bristol to mark the collection. Get involved! This is a unique chance to capture your memories and views surrounding the history (and indeed future) of Vauxhall City Farm, so we hope you can join the farm by getting involved. If you are interested in taking part in a ‘Witness Seminar’ or one-to-one interview, please ring Katherine on 0207 582 4204 or drop her an e-mail at katherine@averygoodcompany.org to book yourself into a session. Otherwise, feel free to drop-in and see the farm on the day http://www.vauxhallcityfarm.org/p/about-us_16.html. We hope to see you soon! from Vauxhall City Farm (and Trevor the turkey)