UK: City bankers give Stepney urban farm £30,000 lifeline to get through Covid crisis
The troubled Stepney City Farm that faces being £27,000 in the red caused by the coronavirus lockdown is getting a cash lifeline by City bankers.
By Mike Brooke
Docklands and East London Advertiser
Nov 13, 2020
Excerpt:
The three-acre farm opposite St Dunstan’s Church was unable to furlough essential staff who were needed to feed the animals, maintain operations and keep isolated people in the community supplied with affordable fresh produce.
The cash is to help make sure it remains an East End “oasis for isolated or vulnerable people” when the lockdown is over.
“This donation will have a significant impact in the coming months,” associate farm trustee Ed Gaze said. “It reflects the work we do in the community that’s so close to Lloyd’s home in the City.”
The working farm is one of the organisations around the country getting a slice of a £15 million package of grants from the foundation.
Most of its income vanished overnight when the first lockdown started.
Around 45 per cent of its running costs are normally covered by charitable income with activities such as corporate volunteering days, venue hire, donations and rental income.
