Pioneering city farm's set to mark half-century

THIS year marks the 50th anniversary of Bristol's Windmill Hill City Farm, one of the UK's pioneering community farms and a cherished green space.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Bristol's Windmill Hill City Farm, one of the UK's pioneering community farms and a cherished green space

(Windmill Hill City Farm)

It was one of the first city farms developed outside London in the 1970s, born from the sheer determination of like-minded people.

Located on Philip Street in Bedminster, this 4.5-acre green space is a beacon of community spirit, but it could have all been very different. Five decades ago, there were plans by Bristol Council to turn the derelict wasteland into a lorry park.

However, a group of local campaigners, called the Dustbin Group, had bigger plans and wanted to see the derelict site - which was what left after Second World War bombings - used as something to benefit the whole community.

Their vision started in 1976 with a community meeting deciding upon a community farm. The following year, a team of volunteers put in many hours of hard labour in order to clear the site and establish a farmyard and basic facilities. They renovated a derelict building on the site to provide a workshop, now occupied by the farm shop, and a first-floor meeting room.

The first summer holiday play scheme for local children began that same year and a community bus service was established in partnership with the local authority and a Bristol-based bus company. This initiative was set up in response to local residents who had been told that it was not possible to provide a bus service on the steep and narrow streets of Windmill Hill.

By 1979, a small working farmyard had been set up. Windmill Hill City Farm, became one of the first community farms in the UK and remains one of the largest.

As it grew organically, the result has been that for half a century, it has provided a welcoming green space where people in Bristol can connect with nature, animals and one another.