Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm's fundraising and volunteer call

Treasurer and Trustee of Tam O’Shanter Cottage Urban Farm Trust, Jo Wood MBE said that the aim is to move back into being a community farm with lots of volunteer projects so that the hundreds of people who ask every month, can actually become a part of making things happen.

She told the Globe: "It’s been a rough couple of years for all of us. No one can deny that and right now we need to look forward to what we can achieve in 2022.

"As a small, local, independent charity, with no obligatory statutory funding, Tam O'Shanter Farm has struggled in the same way as so many other charities. Having to close to the public, having to cancel fund raising events, needing to cancel room bookings and parties – have all meant that our income has been reduced to almost zero throughout the pandemic.

"Add to that the fact that we simply couldn't furlough our staff. The animals and the farm still had to be looked after. You can imagine the steady drop in our bank balance.

"We have also fallen foul of new Environmental Health regulations that came into force in April 2021 that have caused us to double fence all our animals to ensure members of the public cannot touch them (concerns about E-Coli transmission).

"This has ripped our Business Plan to shreds as all our ideas about how to make our farm pay - revolved round giving members of the public, animal time, animal experience days etc. All now banned.

"And then we have had the two storms and Avian Flu - just as we were hoping to get things underway for Christmas - so any pennies left have gone towards fixing roofs, locking up birds and cutting up fallen trees.

"From the end of January, we will, quite simply, have no money left to pay full time staff – so no more farm managers.

"So, we are going to have to get back to basics. Our charitable objects are “to advance education and provide leisure and social welfare facilities to improve conditions of life for Wirral residents” And that is what we are going to do!"

Damage caused by recent storm. Picture: Josephine Wood

One of Tam O'Shanter's inhabitants. Picture: Josephine Wood

Jo continued: "To attract funding, we need to move back into wildlife and nature education, with lots of supported volunteering.

"We get hundreds of requests every month from schools, colleges, mental health agencies, but we have no one to manage or coordinate volunteers of any ability - and nothing to pay them with."

Tam O'Shanter Nature Walk Near Completion. Picture: Josephine Wood

"Sadly, the funding we got form the National Lottery Community Fund, arrived just as Covid hit so we didn't get too far with our plans.

"We are starting from scratch again. Magenta have done a wonderful job of refurbishing the volunteer space and lecture rooms. We have everything we need to make this happen; we just need support.

"By February 1 we need to have recruited and trained up, enough volunteers to care for our animals every day of the year."

Ms Wood, whose father Harold Burns helped build Tam O'Shanter in the 1970s, added: "The Polytunnel (pictured, above) at the top end of the farm is cleaned out and ready for planting all sorts of bedding plants and herbs that will be sold to visitors."

"The allotment area is similarly cleared and ready for digging over, fertilising (plenty produced on site) and planting up to give us a supply of fruits and vegetables to sell, use or donate. All that is missing is you.

"We need people who can offer support with volunteers working in the planting and growing of fruits, vegetables and herbs and develop such into funded roles.

"We want to be able to take on board the many challenges people face following the past two years – we want to offer wellbeing, outdoor personal challenges that improve our mental health through simply being outdoors, and our physical health from getting down and dirty and mucking in!

"We need experts in nature and wildlife to get involved in developing our wildlife zone – mapping the many species that have returned since we returned the site to nature.

The Wildlife Pond at Tam O'Shanter. Picture: Josephine Wood

"We want schools and colleges to appreciate what we are doing and offer to make a monthly or yearly donation to allow us to take placements, give children and young people the opportunities to develop their curriculum outside of the classroom – learning about farm animals, and the natural world first hand and not just through books.

"We really want to take your placements but without financial input, it is simply not safe to do so.

"So we need funds - lots of funds and we KNOW that there will be people reading this that can help sponsor a project, a post, a volunteer programme, a mental wellbeing programme and so much more.

"Throughout January we will run volunteer interviews and training for those who want to get involved.

"Please – get in touch for application forms, further information, ways to support us, how to get involved as a stakeholder, how to make a donation.
"Over to you - let's do this"

If you are interested in helping to play a part in Tam O'Shanter's future, email: hello@tamoshanterfarm.org.uk