Reducing the miles our food travels before we take it home is on many people’s agenda so being able to buy produce reared or grown at the farm on which it is subsequently sold, really is all making quality food available in the local community.
Located on what was once a 60-acre dairy farm, the Common Leys Farm Campus is part of the Abingdon & Witney College. With fantastic teaching facilities, including a £1.9m Livestock Technology building opened in May 2019, the Campus has in the region of 700 students each year learning a range of courses where they will be able to get ‘hands on’ learning outside of the classroom. Many of the students, aged 16 to 18 years of age, are undertaking a 12-to-24-month course with both theory and practical studies. Students who are eager to improve countryside management, ecological and horticultural skills are catered for. A range of Adult Leisure and Professional Courses are also run at the Common Leys Campus covering Floristry, Dog Grooming and Animal First Aid, RHS Level 2 Horticulture and an Introduction to Running a Successful Smallholding are just a few of the part-time courses on offer.
The Campus is a working farm, so students have the chance to gain outdoor experience sometimes learning more unusual skills such as how to repair a Cotswold-stone and earth bridge to enable the farm’s tractors to keep on the move. Each March for two days at weekends, the Campus opens its doors to visitors to watch as the new spring lambs are brought into the world. Visitors can also take a walk around and see the diverse range of animals, both small and large which live at Common Leys.
With carefully designed enclosures to ensure that all the animals’ needs are always met, allowing them plenty of space to roam with constant care from staff and students, the Campus is an enjoyable place to be, both for staff, students, and visitors.
The newly opened farm shop has ‘limited’ stocks of fresh meat which has either been born or raised on the Campus. By opening a shop at the College, the Equine Animal and Agricultural students are able to gain additional business management, retail, and customer service experience. They are involved in caring for the livestock, taking the animals to the abattoir at Long Compton before the meat is butchered by Hook Norton Butchery. It is then returned to the Campus for packing and selling in the shop. Other produce for customers to buy is milk and shakes produced by North Cotswold Dairy.
The horticultural students are also involved in growing vegetables in the high-tech polytunnels and on more than an acre of dedicated gardening space and produce will then be sold in the shop. This is obviously seasonal and produce quantities will vary according to the season. Plants are also available to buy.
Students with learning disabilities, who are part of the Propeller Project, have been making beautiful wall-hangings which are available to buy in the shop. Along with the Equine Animal and Agricultural students, they are also part of the team looking after the shop and serving customers. The shop opens during term time from 8.15am until 4.45pm.
There are also two exciting events taking place at Common Leys Farm Campus in early summer. These are the May Family Fun Day on 1 May from 11am until 3pm and the Open Farm Sunday and Countryside Fayre on 11 June from 10am until 4pm. Both events will have craft stalls, animal handling activities, pony rides, plant sales, children’s activities, refreshments. Entry is £7 for adults and £5 for children aged 5 to 16 years.
To find out more about what is happening visit Common Leys Farm Shop’s Facebook page.
