Weymouth Community farm for vulnerable people bids for £316,000
Tumbledown farm wants to repair it's derelict buildings.
Last updated 10th Jun 2021
A community farming project that teaches vulnerable people new skills could benefit from £316,000 government funding.
The 27 acres of Tumbledown Farm off Radipole Lane are currently used as an outdoor centre for learning.
It's run by Weymouth Town Council who are bidding for funding to quadruple their capacity.
Permission was given to turn the site into a community asset earlier this year, and local homelessness schemes are already making use of it.
But, much of the site is still in dereliction, something that councillors say they need more money to change.
Cllr David Northam said:
"Getting hold of the £316,000 grant from central government would be a fantastic way to accelerate what we want to do there, which is actually getting more help for more vulnerable people and repairing one of the derelict buildings.
"One positive thing about COVID, if you can say there's a positive thing, is that people have come to appreciate the outdoors as a natural asset they can enjoy and get a sense of wellbeing out of.
"We know that in Dorset there aren't enough activity centres and activities for vulnerable people to have meaningful skills development, and currently there are a number that are sent outside of Dorset for that."
The project also aims to contribute to the government's net-zero carbon objective, as well as other environmental goals.
An open day is being held at the site to help people understand what's happening there and how they can be involved. It's taking place on Saturday 26th June between 2pm and 4pm.
For more details head to Weymouth Town Council's website.