Cultura
UK: Community raises £1m to buy farm
After creating an Industrial and Provident Society in 2005, two young farmers have now raised enough share income to save one of the UKs oldest organic farms from private development.
Brother and sister Ben and Charlotte Hollins run Fordhill Farm in Market Drayton, Shropshire, where their family has been tenant farmers for over 700 years. The farm?s landowners announced plans to sell it in July 2006, but Ben and Charlotte teamed up with the Soil Association and Stroud Community Land Trust to create the Fordhall Community Land Initiative Industrial & Provident Society and offer shares to the community. Since then, the Trust has gained 7,500 investors and raised over £1m (1.4m euro) from share purchases, donations and loans.
£800,000 (1.1m euro) of the raised funds has now been used to purchase the farm from its former landowners which means it is now community-owned. The remaining money will be used to develop other projects on the farm including local/organic food, tea rooms and an educational resource room.
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