Our Story
Located on the A3071 in West Cornwall near St Just-in-Penwith and overlooking the sea, Bosavern Community Farm is run by Bosavern Community Enterprises Ltd, a not-for-profit Social Benefit Society.
See an overview of our farm at https://online.fliphtml5.com/
Our Farm Aims are:
- To produce and sell local and sustainable food
- To provide community access to land
- To provide a welcoming space and opportunities for people to come together and learn about growing food, regenerative agriculture, conservation and healthy, sustainable living
We are only able to progress our sustainability aims by working in partnership with many other individuals and organisations both locally and strategically. Read more about our partnerships and funders here.
Milestones:
2024
- Created a part-time Cook role July to better support volunteer activity days
- Participated in the Lafrowda Day parades with willow sculptures as well as holding our usual street stall
- Began offering school visits (target of 25-30 by March 2025) funded by FIPL including Sennen Primary, St Just Primary, Newlyn Primary, Mounts Bay Academy, Penwith Wave Academy and Cape Cornwall School
- Secured funding from Groundwork UK for an Energy Efficiency Survey of our buildings to be undertaken
- Launched a podcast ‘Twist & Sprout’ to increase engagement and education
- Added water-harvesting to our chicken sheds funded by SWW with support from Cape Cornwall School KITES Unit in July
- Fenced two maincrop fields in Spring funded by FIPL
- Created removable mesh panels in the doors of our tomato polytunnel to improve ventilation for the Summer Season
- New outdoor salad beds created designed to better meet demand during the Hungry Gap
- Introduced new, sustainable lines into the shop including freshly cut flowers
- Designed and produced merchandise (mugs and tote bags) for sale in shop / markets
- Advisory role established to assist staff at Cornwall Wildlife Trust with community engagement as part of the Landscape Recovery in the new SSSI (Site of Specific Scientific Interest)
- Added extra features to our accessible toilet to make it ‘Stoma-Friendly’
- Worked with academics and growers to map sustainable production within the Dutchy and to explore shared ordering from outside as well as distribution of value added products around Cornwall in a pilot project called ‘Join The Dots’
- Worked with Volunteer Cornwall to explore possibilities of veg boxes on prescription
- Updated website, WWOOF profile, created a linktree, a powerpoint presentation, sign-up forms and an online introductory ‘flipbook‘ to improve external communications
- Issued two newsletters to supporters (Spring & Summer)
- Expanded the wildflower project to supply plants to the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens (as well as the National Trust and general public)
- Installed a Water Cycle interpretation sign for site visitors funded by PLP
- Created a window display for St Piran’s Day as well as attending the community parade as usual
- Secured funds through VCSE & Volunteer Cornwall to support volunteers
- Held two volunteer Induction Days in Feb and July
- Held a careers information stall at Penwith College
- Hosted a tour and talk for Partner Organisations and Referral Agencies in June
- Held a stall at a Community Day in Penzance
- Hosted corporate volunteering away-days for staff from Sea Salt and the Job Centre
- Hosted two Dark Skies guided moth-watching events funded by St Just Town Council in Jun & July led by Ecologist Nick Taylor
- Hosted two Scything workshops led by Scythe Kernow in June and August
- Hosted a Summer Social for all our volunteers in July
- Hosted one Cornish Hedging stile course delivered by CREST
- Hosted one Creating Positive Energy workshop delivered by Change Innovators
- Hosted several short permaculture courses in partnership with the WEA
- Six week placement for a young adult via Learn Your Way
- Secured funding in partnership with Arts Well for seasonal community arts events
- Spring Open Day held on the Sunday before the Easter weekend
- Outreach door-knocking and flyering in social housing estates in Feb
- Tractor training, First Aid and Fire Safety Training renewed, defibrillator secured
- Completed 23/24 planting season with over 700 mixed hedgerow tree saplings planted (some grown ourselves, others funded by Woodland Trust & Forest For Cornwall) and 10 fruit trees planted (private donor)
- Secured funding from Forest for Cornwall for shelterbelts around one of our Maincrop fields
- Produced a Land Management Plan
- CEVAS Accreditation achieved via LEAF to enable educational visits
- Employed a part-time Events Co-ordinator Jan 2024 – March 2025
- Introduced better branding and print literature
2023
- Attracted 5 new Directors bringing relevant skills and increased capacity to the Board
- Achieved Community Hub Status (with support from Volunteer Cornwall)
- Brushcutter Training, Safeguarding Training and DBS checks completed
- 1 Memory Cafe group, 1 Home Ed group, 1 scout group, 3 primary schools, 3 secondary school visits hosted including one SEND group visiting weekly
- Royal Horticultural Society – Outstanding Award
- Permaculture courses began in partnership with WEA
- Placements delivered via Learn Your Way, Mounts Bay Academy and Penwith College
- Harvest Open Day, 1st Sunday in Oct
- Plunkett Foundation – National winner of the Training & Employment category
- Rainwater harvesting system installed Summer (funded by PLP & SWW)
- Bioblitz wildlife survey undertaken in partnership with PLP
- Speaker at the Cornwall Sustainable Food Summit
- Finalist in the South West Farmer Awards
- Registered for Tempo Time Credits
- Fire safety equipment upgraded
- Winner – South West In Bloom – regional ‘In My Neighbourhood’ category
- Spring Open Day
- Sunday before the Easter weekend
- Wildflower Propagation and small Tree Nursery began Spring (with support from PLP)
2022
- Completed the EU-funded, award-winning Bosavern Training & Work Experience Project (aka GEP) 2020-2022 assisting over 40 unemployed adults with confidence, skills, training and employment
- Drainage added to allotments field
2021
- Winner of the St Just Town Council Community Group Award
- Rabbit proof fencing added to allotments field & fencing for shelter added to Market Garden
- Cornwall Sustainability Awards – Highly Commended
2015
- Cornwall Sustainability Awards – Winner
2014
- Purchase of the Farm by Bosavern Community Enterprises Ltd (BCEnts) financed by a substantial grant from Local Food Lottery (Big Lottery Fund) , a Community Share Offer and a loan from a local benefactor.
2011
- Cornwall Council decided to sell the farm and buildings, some visionary members of the local community rallied others.
2009
- Members of the community teamed up to lease the farm from Cornwall Council and began growing vegetables on the farm.
1918
- The farm was originally used as a training farm to encourage new farmers into agriculture at the end of WW1
What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
Head Grower, Hugh at Bosavern Community Farm tells us what he likes about community supported agriculture
Interview of two Bosavern Community Farm volunteers by Coast FM
Ian, a BCFC Trustee and former volunteer at Bosavern Community Farm, tells us why CSA farming is so important
Part of a Global Movement
There are many community-owned farms, orchards and gardens sprouting up locally, nationally and internationally and we are proud to be a part of this regenerative movement. We collaborate with other growing projects, regenerative farms and Market Gardeners in Cornwall and we belong to a number of national and international networks:
Community Supported Agriculture https://
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) https://wwoof.org.uk/en/host/
Better Food Traders https://betterfoodtraders.org/
Social Farms and Gardens https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/