Update - 2008 Winner 'Against All Odds'
The old farm buildings
The Against All Odds prize of £25,000 was awarded to Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Farm.
The farm in North Shropshire, on which her late father was a tenant, was saved from development in June 2006 when over 8000 people purchased non-profit making £50 shares. Now owned by its shareholders, the land and house are leased to Ben and Charlotte Hollins, whilst the Fordhall Community Land Initiative utilises the same land for community benefit through events, volunteering and educational visits.
Charlotte Hollins, project director reports, “The Fordhall Community Land Initiative received great press from the awards and this served as a great benefit to our future progression.
“Winning the award has given the FCLI board the confidence to move forward our building project on the farm and to begin investing real funds in its progress. This is a project to renovate the old barns on the farm for a larger farm shop, a local food tearooms, class room space, offices and toilets - all in as sustainable manner as possible.
“An architect has been contracted to begin designs on the buildings, surveys have been completed, planners have been involved and we are now almost at a point of putting in a planning application.
“Completing this renovation project will make the Fordhall Community Land Initiative financially sustainable as it will allow new regular income streams to be created. Currently, a large proportion of the income is made up of donations and grants and we are keen to move away from this as much as possible in the future. Furthermore, the hope is that these buildings will act as a method for interpretation and education in themselves; allowing visitors to understand more about sustainable building materials and energy use.
“I have also met with a number of consultants as a result of the Morgan Foundation Awards, all of whom have been extremely helpful and supportive and I am sure will continue to be so into the next 12 months.
"I would urge everybody to enter into these awards - you really have nothing to loose and everything to gain.”
