If Friends of Firs Farm are to receive funding promised by sponsors to go towards building a community hub on the popular green space in the east of Winchmore Hill, they need to have it well under construction by the end of the year. But Covid has caused delays, while costs have increased, and they're still short of the amount they need. To help plug the gap, they've launched a crowdfunder.
Below, Helen Osman, a trustee of the Friends of Firs Farm, tells the story.
We are very lucky to have so many parks and green spaces in the local area. Parks such as Broomfield and Grovelands with hundreds of years of history; enjoyed by generations of local residents. However, how many of you have been to one of the borough’s newest green spaces - Firs Farm, sandwiched between Firs Lane and the A10?
The benefits that Firs Farm brings are summarised as H.E.R.B.S: Health, Education, Recreation, Biodiversity, Sport
You may not be aware that Firs Farm Wetlands & Playing Fields is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) which in less than a decade has been transformed from neglected field to award-winning wetlands visited by thousands of people a year, supported by our army of volunteers.
Over the past five years the Friends of Firs Farm have raised more than £200,000 to create a café and community space, providing toilets and a welcoming space for people coming to Firs Farm. It is not just for local residents who visit, but also for the hundreds of school children, students and environmentalists studying how ‘sustainable urban wetlands’ (SUDs) can play a significant role in removing pollutants from streams naturally and reduce the risk of flooding downstream.
£200,000 – a considerable sum of money - until 2020 when Covid struck. Fundraising events, grant pitches and planning ground to a halt.
In 2021, emerging out of Covid, the Friends faced the ‘little problem’ of Firs Farm being identified as a site for a potential crematorium in an appendix of Enfield Council’s draft local plan, despite the site already being designated for the community hub. Faced by massive public outcry, the leader of the council stepped in to give an assurance that this would not happen and that Firs Farm is a “cherished and much appreciated asset”.
The community hub that the Friends of Firs Farm are raising money to build
2022 – with planning granted, the aftermath of Covid and global events has taken its toll on our community aspirations. Rising building costs now mean that whilst our £200,000 will fund the basic structure of the modular building, it isn’t enough to fit it out as a stylish café and shared community space. What’s more, unless we are able to have the community hub building work started by the end of the year, we may lose some of our grant funding.
A tall order? Maybe, but we are confident we can do it with a little help from our friends.
We are reaching out to community funding organisations, to companies who understand the value of Firs Farm and have supported us in the past and most importantly to our local community.
We want to create a new heritage if that makes sense, a legacy for future generations. In time our modular building will be replaced by something more permanent, but in the meantime we will not only provide much needed facilities to Wetlands visitors, but will kickstart the regeneration of the adjoining playing pitches - which is why we are so pleased that Sports England are helping to fund the community hub.
To find out how the crowdfunder is progressing, to learn what rewards are offered and to make a donation, scan the QR code or click on this link.
There is a Chinese saying “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Yep. The Friends of Firs Farm have planted more than a thousand trees and shrubs for our local community today and tomorrow. The vision is slowly taking root.
We’ve done the hard part - the hours of digging (gardening on a grand scale), the litter picking and the hours spent writing funding bids. We would dearly love our volunteers who have dedicated many hundreds of hours to Firs Farm to have somewhere to enjoy a coffee (and have a pee) after hours spent maintaining Firs Farm.
Over to you – surely your task is easier? Please take out your credit card and visit our crowdfunder page and to help us get it over the line. The price of a couple of cups of coffee?
We look forward to welcoming you to enjoy your coffee in Firs Farm Community hub in 2023.
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