Monday, 24 February 2025

Become a co-owner of Babbinswood Organic Farm - deadline 31 March

Dear Blogger

Message forwarded by Ingrid Knowles Oswestry net



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Daisy Kirtley <daisykirtley@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2025 at 14:02
Subject: Become a co-owner of an organic farm at Babbinswood - community shares £50 - deadline 31st March 2025
To: Oswestry Network <oswestrynet@gmail.com>


Would you like to become a co-owner of an organic farm and secure more land access for the community?

Many of you will have heard of Fordhall Farm and how it was saved in 2006 through the formation of a co-op (the Fordhall Community Land Initiative) that bought the land via community ownership. 
Over 8,000 people across the country bought community shares.  

The ownership model at Fordhall has been a brilliant success: the farm has supported a long-term organic tenant farming family while welcoming visitors and putting on endless, highly functional community projects for nearly two decades now. The FCLI employs over 30 people, and the farm employs even more - the community farming paradigm really does work for rural areas.

A great opportunity has come up for our area to have our own community-owned farm. 

Babbinswood Farm, the organic, family-run farm near Whittington, is being forced to sell half their land due to a divorce settlement. The current owner and farming family are desperate to sell to the community to avoid development or chemical agriculture and to keep the farm organic. 
After the owner took a £1.4m interest-free loan from a philanthropist last year to prevent immediate sale of the land, a group of locals worked with the farmers to form a co-operative that can put the land into community ownership: Babbinswood Farm Community Benefit Society. Our Directors are listed here. 

After a successful local launch of Share Offer (available here), the campaign to Save Babbinswood Farm through community ownership launched nationally on the 3rd of February. 
Our aim is to raise £1.5 million, raised through a £1 million community share offer, with £500,000 from grants and donations (+ Gift Aid). 
Our community shares are £50 each.

While this is clearly an enormous amount of money to raise, we believe there is enough interest in organic and sustainable farming and local community asset provision to raise it.
We have financial planning in place for alternative fundraising scenarios - please read our Business Plan for more information. 
No changes on land purchase will be made without communication to shareholders - they will have a chance to withdraw funds before the purchase if the original plan does change.

The framework is the same as Fordhall:
  1. The community buys the land via shares
  2. The farmer is provided with an assured long-term farming tenancy
  3. The community co-op receives rent from the farmers
  4. The rent is spent on projects for community benefit, in perpetuity: as a non-profit, the co-op is bound to the provision of these services
       Land for purpose, not for profit! For nature, for our kids, and for us.

If we can raise the funds, the CBS will provide and manage:
  • A native mixed oak and ash woodland to explore, botanise and take your children to
  • 2-km more of flat, open countryside to walk dogs, watch birds and explore in
  • Buildings for use by the community for clubs and workshops 
  • A co-op with a guaranteed base of rent from the organic tenant farms to put back into the community
  • A co-op dedicated to facilitating environmental education and well-being
  • A life-long voice to the shareholder - this is a classic co-op structure, run, directed and elected by shareholders. Get yourself heard
  • Jobs and volunteering opportunities: look to Fordhall for how functional this approach is
All while saving Babbinswood Organic Farm, with the associated community riches: organic farm shop, food security, pioneering cow-calf dairy, community food forest and garden, holistic vet practice and community out-reach!

We are also receiving lots of paper and postal shares - our Share Application form is here if you would prefer this.

Our flyer is attached. More information on community shares more generally can be found here

Please get in touch any time with questions or comments! 
Our Treasurer is Andrew Cristinacce on a_cristinacce@hotmail.com if you would like to talk directly to him.

I believe this a great opportunity for our area. 

Daisy Kirtley
Director
On behalf of Babbinswood Farm Community Benefit Society Ltd
future@babbinswoodfarmcbs.org.uk
Exempt Charity number ZD34883




at