Late Summer 2025 Newsletter
Young Farmers - spaces available!
Are you aged between 11 and 13, and looking for some hands-on farm experience? Please click here to email our Young Farmers programme if so! We'd love to have you.
Fundraiser for Bayleaf's new donkey shoes
New shoes for Bayleaf the Donkey! At 29 years old, Bayleaf is suffering from painful feet caused by his long-term health condition, Cushing’s Disease.
Our lovely farrier Matt has sorted him out with custom made shoes to try and help his hooves to heal. Bayleaf was a star having them fitted this week, and Matt will be back in a month or two to fit his next set.
The metal shoes wear down quickly on our concrete farmyard, and at £150 a pair, Bayleaf’s long-term treatment plan won’t be cheap. We’d be grateful for any donations to help keep our oldest resident comfortable in his retirement!
City of London Lady Mayoress visit - 3rd July
In July we were very pleased to receive a visit from the City of London Lady Mayoress, Florence King. She received a tour of the Farm, a bouquet of farm-grown flowers arranged specially by our Community Gardener, Lutfun Hussein, and said a special hello to Holmes the pig, who was very happy for the extra attention. It was lovely to meet her.
Power of Food Festival - 18th-28th September
The Power of Food Festival is a 10-day festival across Tower Hamlets celebrating the borough’s community and food cultures, and showcasing local projects building fairer, more sustainable food systems.
An event held here at the Farm is just one thing in a huge programme full of inspiring, thought-provoking and delicious happenings including community meals, supper clubs, workshops, film screenings, photography exhibitions, kids’ activities, panel discussions, and tours of gardens and food-growing spaces, including Folx Farm in Essex who grow food for the borough.
Find out more and book tickets on their website here! From their website:
"This festival invites us to think about the unique power of food. It is at the heart of our lives, connecting us to our traditions, cultures, and people around us. It links to how we care for ourselves and others. It also invites us to think about how we can take power into our own hands and reclaim our food system – so it has the interests of our communities and the environment at its heart. From learning food skills, to practicing our culture and feeling connected to our communities, to building alternative ways of growing, buying, sharing and composting food – these are all ways that can put power back into our hands."
Photo credit: Hafsah Hafeji. Pictured: growing volunteer, Sean (left) with our Head Grower, Chris (right).
Children in Need funding success! After School Farm Club
This month we received the news that we have been successful in our application for a grant from BBC Children in Need. We have been awarded £15,000 to run an after-school club at the farm for the next 3 years, starting from September. This will be free of charge to local (Tower Hamlets) children from year 3 to year 6. This money will allow us to provide staffing and resources such as warm waterproof clothing and boots for children, as well as a hearty snack. We hope this will hark back to the Spitalfields City Farm of old, helping local kids learn animal care and feel deeply rooted in the every day action of the farm. We are incredibly grateful.
Image credit: BBC Children in Need
New Additions to the Farm Fam!
This month we also welcomed some gorgeous new additions to the Farm - two chicks that we raised from eggs in our incubator, named Mirabelle and Damson (yes, after the plums we grow here), and Pippin, Pearl and Pixie, our new young ducks! Please come and visit them, they'd all love to say hi as they settle into their new home.
Shop News - what are we selling?
The heat waves we've been having in recent weeks and months have made a lot of things ripen early. We already have loads of apples, greens, and tomatoes. Remember that we are much more reliably stocked in the summer months, so please do come and get your fresh, organic, hand-picked veg from us! We keep our prices as low and affordable as we can.
We also have a huge range of annuals (chilli, parsley, snapdragons) and perennials (sage, rosemary, thyme) available - come fill yer boots!
Lastly, if you can, bring your own shopping bags, although we do have some here if you're unable to do this.
VEG OF THE MONTH - Figs 'n' Tomatoes
The Veg of the Month for this newsletter is our incredible crop of figs and tomatoes! These are being distributed between the Spitalfields and Smithfield branches of St John Restaurant who we have a long-running produce partnership with, who turn them into gorgeous sauces to go with their dishes - this month, their delicious dessert roast figs with butter cream. Oooh, yes.
Right to Grow: Tower Hamlets campaign
The RTG campaign supports residents and groups to:
Identify and use public land for growing
Secure space with fair terms and long-term options
Build stronger, healthier communities through shared growing, cooking, and learning
Respond to climate and social challenges with local solutions
Protect and sustain spaces like community gardens for future generations
Get involved by visiting their website and signing up for the newsletter.
Finally, more animals, because why not...
Lastly, three more pics for no reason other than they're great. First, Holmes enjoying a cool wallow in the water/mud pit that our dedicated Farmyard Manager Jenny dug for him, to help with overheating on those hot days we've been having; then, of Juniper and Hazel eating huge bunches of nettles we harvested for them; and lastly, our ferret Teriyaki, trying to figure out how to work the drill. He has to earn his keep somehow!
That's it for this edition! Thank you for reading.
The Farm is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00am to 4.30pm.
We look forward to welcoming you soon.