“As a Young Person living close to the centre of London, it makes perfect sense to me for people to often ask the question: ‘Nature. What’s the Point?’ Our daily lives are spent in a forest of concrete and glass, not a forest of trees, and we often find ourselves ‘too busy’ to pursue the great outdoors. However, I wanted to change this narrative. My name’s Finn, and I’m a Young Person who has a passion for the nature around us. I constantly get the privilege of being connected to our living environment at my youth club at Surrey Docks Farm, so wished to share why nature is something worth exploring, celebrating and cherishing, and why it matters to you.

I thought the best way to do this was by delivering a day long nature awareness day for the local community at Surrey Docks Farm. After securing funding from London Youth and the London Wildlife Trust, I held this in July, and it consisted of: foraging; seed sowing; wildlife identification; herbal teas; pollinator identification and much more. Across the event space were stalls that combined information with activities, promoting an engaging and hands on method of teaching. Some of my favourites included seed sowing, in which we made sustainable pots out of newspaper, filled them with compost made at the Farm (a process I taught the visitors about) and planted herbs and other crops that could easily be grown on a windowsill or small balcony, meaning that people with limited outdoor space, owing to living in a crowded city, could still form a connection with nature. One of the most popular stalls showed people the benefits of some of the plants that they perhaps often see, yet think nothing of them. For example, we harvested nettles to make tea – everyone loved the opportunity to taste something they might not have tried before, whilst learning about the amazing health benefits it may bring. Did you know, stinging nettles don’t just sting, they’ve been thought to reduce stress and treat sore muscles! Other activities included making your own insect hotel with readily available materials – like bamboo canes, sticks and string – and decorating packets of wildflower seeds which grow into flowers that are brilliant for bees.

Over the course of the day, I really enjoyed being able to engage with people who visited. It was challenging to alter each activity to make it suited for all demographics, but overall, young children, teenagers and adults all seemed to enjoy it just as much as one another. It was really rewarding to see a finished product, seeing it advertised across social media outlets, and collaborating with other young people at the Farm to ensure the day ran smoothly.

However, the bit that the visitors didn’t see was the amount of planning that went into it. This felt like the most valuable part to me, I have learnt so many skills and methods of approaching challenges when designing events akin to this, whether that’s securing funding from partners, the importance of keeping to self-imposed deadlines, and how to generate ideas (without putting too many eggs in way too many baskets!) A key aspect I had learnt is that sometimes, keeping information, branding, activities and delivery simple and clear can be the most effective method. It’s easy to get carried away with chucking as much information as possible onto a page, or trying to get the most complex, high-budget activity possible, but often, simply inviting people to drink some nettle tea, and planting seeds, helps you reach the exact end goal that you intended – at least in my case it did.

I feel very grateful for all of those who helped the event be a resounding success: everyone at the Farm, including Youth Workers and volunteers for helping guide the direction of the day and other Young People for helping out at the stalls; London Youth and the London Wildlife Trust for offering support and funding; the Jack Petchey Foundation, for acknowledging the event, and providing a platform to share the story. It all acts as testament for how much success is so dependent on collaboration with others.”

My Farm Life

Hi! My name is Orphée. I am 13 years old, turning 14 in September. I am currently a secondary school student in year 8. I started attending Surrey Docks Farm in 2015 when I turned 8. I started off as a part of the Sunday ‘Green Fingers’ club, but then I moved to the Saturday ‘Young Farmers’ club about a year and a half later. Altogether, I have been coming to the farm for nearly 6 years. Surrey Docks Farm was established in 1975 and has since been a neighbouring part of the community. Throughout my time here, I have learnt many new things about animals and plants – this has helped me to become more educated in the nature sector and helped me to apply my knowledge to my everyday life, such as growing plants. These things have all benefited me in some way and I feel like the farm could also help others like it has me.

At the farm, there are many different things that you can do: grow your own fruit and veg in allotments, muck-out animal pens, explore in the wildlife garden, collect chicken, duck and geese eggs, bottle feed lambs, cook and much more. As well as there being clubs, visitors can come to the farm to see the animals and feed them, but due to the pandemic, it has stopped, but will hopefully run back up again! We have a café where people can have a quick drink with a snack or even a nice hot lunch! It’s by the foreshore so it’s in a calm environment where you can enjoy the sun. Since the lockdown, Surrey Docks Farm’s on-site shop has been closed, but it is still available online. You can book an order of veg, fruit, meat, eggs, or even a bag of fresh manure. At the farm, there are many clubs that run, whether they’re throughout the working/school week, on weekends or even during the holidays (except for Christmas)! The young people who are a part of these clubs also get the chance to go on trips, whether it’s to another farm like Stepney City Farm, to a botanical garden like Kew Gardens, or perhaps an overnight camping trip. These are all very fun things that we get to enjoy at the farm. On top of that, the farm also holds fairs: Spring, Summer and Autumn fair. There are many different food stalls and fun activities for children to play, and sheep shearing usually happens around that time. Since these usually happen on Saturdays, the Saturday morning Young Farmers group also have their own stall or work in the old café area. When people buy things at the fairs, the money is usually collected for farm donations which goes towards, e.g., improvements and projects for the farm. We do these things to make Surrey Docks farm a better place, which people want to visit. This is why I continue to attend the farm. My younger brother has even become a part of the young farmers.

When I first joined the farm, I had a huge fear of animals. I was afraid to join in activities which we did because of it. Overtime, I feel like the farm has really helped me to lose my fear of animals and become closer to them. My favourite animals on the farm are probably the sheep/lambs because they are quite calm. Through the farm, I have learnt many more facts about plants and animals and have been able to apply it to my everyday life. For example, my mum and I grow lots more plants in our house and have learnt how to propagate them, which is an easier way to produce more of the same plants without wasting any money. I enjoy coming to the farm because I get to spend some time with the animals, and I get to see all of the blossoming wildlife. I also like growing and harvesting crops because we get to sometimes take some home and eat the fruit and veg that we pick. During the lockdown, we were able to come in for a visit to the farm and take a bunch of fruit and veg home. My mum and I made 3 different jams (rhubarb + apple/strawberry + loganberry/raspberry + blackberry) using some of the fruit/veg we brought home.

The farm has launched the Greenagers programme for 14- to 18-year-olds. It’s a place where young people can do things that suit their likes more and experience a variety of things to do and still be able to be a part of the farm. It’s a great opportunity for young people to explore new things and still enjoy the comfort of hobbies which they liked before. I am excited to become a part of this in September. Although the farm is situated in an unusual place (in the middle of the city), it is a wonderful environment where people can come to find a sense of calmness, like our wildlife garden. I especially enjoy going to the wildlife garden when there is loud noise and it’s really quiet and you can hear the chirping of the birds. It’s rather soothing! The farm is also available to club attendees if they need any help with schoolwork or just need a quiet place to study. This leads onto the idea of the youth hub which is a plan that the farm has. It is going to be a quiet space for young farmers, greenagers and youth committee members only. Though it may not be available to the public, it will be a great advantage for young people. It can be used for cooking, chill-time, reading, working and playing board games – it’s a great project that I think future kids will enjoy.

Overall, Surrey Docks Farm is a wonderful place that all people can come to and experience farm life in the city! I think you’ll love it!