Grant of £3,000, awarded in 2021. Total project cost £3,846
The grant funded the majority of the design and implementation by contractors of greatly improved pedestrian access to Oxford City Farm. A new 1.2m pedestrian gate was installed and a 1.6m wide level path made from the gate to the tarmac area of the site (approx. 30m). Wheelchair users and parents of children in buggies can now access the farm much more smoothly, and are also separated from any vehicles entering and leaving the site. A secure letterbox has been fitted in the new gate which, even though it sounds very minor, is proving really helpful in terms of administration for the farm itself.
A consultation with site users about what would help them access the site more easily led to feedback that the entrance was an issue. Volunteers then helped design the project and have also helped to plant bulbs and spread woodchip on areas between the new path and the vehicle access way with the aim of developing this area as a long flower bed filled with flowering herbs for a wonderful scented entrance to the farm.
The grant holder said “TOE funding has enabled us to deliver hugely improved pedestrian access to our Farm site. We are so pleased to have been able to action to undertake these works. We were so conscious of the difficult access for wheelchair users, which thanks to TOE funding, is now a thing of the past!”