Woodhouse Farm is a 22 acre holding in the rural outskirts of Lichfield in South Staffordshire. It is currently owned by Andrew Stone who lives there with his wife, Annamarie, and their daughter Rhiannon. Andrew has in fact lived there his whole life as his parents became tenants of the farm in the 1960’s.
Over the past 70 years the farm has been neglected and has therefore become overgrown and run- down. Due to this reason, in 2009 the Birmingham City Council decided to sell it off and to evict the Stone’s from their home. Following this decision a trust was created called the ‘Woodhouse Community Farm Ltd.’ who campaigned against the council’s decision and wished to restore the farm to its former glory and to open it as a centre for education, health, welfare and well being, showcasing fresh food production, low input agriculture and renewable energy.
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After a lot of campaigning and hard work, the council eventually decided to reconsider its earlier decision to sell off the farm in February 2010. The trust is now entering negotiations with the council to try and get the farm on a long-term lease to enable the Stones to stay in their home and to allow the farm to be redeveloped and shared with the rest of the community.
There are currently a few plans and aims under go by the trust to return the farm to its former self and to allow the plans for it to become a new community area to go forward. Recently ‘Beautiful Gardens’ landscaping company voluntarily helped out the farm by installing some much needed water pipes and repairing some of the farms gates, helping it on its way to refurbishment.
For more information about the cause visit the Woodhouse Community Farm Website.
