Hall & Woodhouse, the leading independent family-owned Dorset brewer, has provided just under £3,000 to High Mead Farm through its Community Chest Awards.
High Mead Farm, which is based in Ferndown, is a supported work environment for people with disabilities, mental health issues and those recovering from illness. As a working farm, the charity provides a therapeutic experience which has huge wellbeing benefits that aid recovery by engaging with the animals and nature.
Currently more than 80 people visit the farm on a weekly basis and rely on the activities provided by the 30 volunteers that include arts and crafts, construction, growing crops and woodwork. The Community Chest’s grant has allowed the charity to renovate a barn which has created a new workshop for mechanical and woodwork projects.
More than £1,000 was also provided to purchase a new chicken coop, which has increased the farm’s egg sales as a result and created more egg collection activities which the co-farmers enjoy.
The White Hart pub, which is part of Hall & Woodhouse’s business partnership (tenanted) estate, is also a loyal supporter of High Mead Farm and regularly fundraises for the charity through its book club. Hall & Woodhouse has matched the funds raised in the past by the book club, to double the amount raised.
Charlotte Sergeant, High Mead Farm Office Manager, said: “We greatly appreciate the support that the Community Chest Awards have provided us with, and in particular we give thanks to Mark Woodhouse for his continued support over the years. The farm is going from strength to strength and we look forward to supporting our community for many more years. We could not have achieved what we have without the help of our volunteers and the funding we have received thus far.”
Applicants have until Friday, May 31 to submit their grant request. More information and application forms can be downloaded at www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/communitychest and then emailed to communitychest@hall-woodhouse.co.uk for consideration.
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of September 2019 and cheques will be presented to the successful organisations at an awards evening in October 2019.
Hall & Woodhouse is a local independent family company that brews award-winning Badger ales and runs a collection of 180 beautiful pubs and inns across the south of England. Since it set up the Community Chest in 2002, Hall & Woodhouse is proud to have awarded more than £500,000 to 741 local voluntary organisations.
