A west Belfast farm has grown from a project for the homeless to ‘a thriving community space’ thanks to its network of dedicated volunteers.
For almost 10 years St James' Community Farm has thrived on once-abandoned land, becoming a vibrant hub that combats antisocial behaviour and fosters community spirit.
Reflecting on the transformation Damien Lindsay said their volunteers are the backbone of the Farm, dedicating their time, skills, and passion.
“Everybody has their own story and has come through stuff from mental health to addictions. We work closely with the addiction team and as people recover they work on the farm and they have become some of our best volunteers.
“Just talking to some of the volunteers you find out their talents like art degrees or experience. There’s so much to do and it helps them help us.”
Aiming to combat loneliness and promote positive mental health the hub provides a space for regular events such as bingo, seasonal markets, birthday parties and social gatherings, helping to build a supportive and inclusive community network.
“At the minute we have a mother-toddler group that helps clean the water, pet the animals, and search for eggs the kids love it,” he said.
“We have different initiatives if people have time to spare and experience gardening or restoring pallets.
“We also have bingo to combat loneliness for people who don’t get out much or might be older, then schools come on placement to volunteer on Tuesdays and Fridays there’s a gardening group.”
The farm also runs a recycling initiative for aluminium cans to help with its running costs.
“We have recycled two and a half million cans in the last two years. People come from their houses or in their cars and drop their aluminium cans and we receive a small fee for recycling them. We use it to help cover the monthly fees like vet bills, straw, hay, and feed, and then you have the running costs, electricity and things like that.
“We share where the funds go and give and people appreciate what’s going on because it takes about £20,000 to run the place annually so we make people realise how much of an important impact their recycling can have on the farm.”
The Farm adapts to the seasons, with Halloween bringing a graveyard theme and Christmas seeing Santa’s Grotto brought to the area, with the animals involved in nativity scenes.
“We’re proud of what we achieved as a community it’s been a godsend. From 12 rehomed chickens we have developed more than a barn, we have built a really important community hub in the centre of it.”
