We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the 2019 Countryside Awards in the Rural Enterprise Award and the Hampshire Choice Award (which has a public vote with a £500 prize! vote here…...)
Rural Enterprise
This category benefits from the support of Hampshire Fare, and is awarded to a business or council organisation which, through their work, either directly or indirectly enhance the rural environment and the rural economy. This category includes both ‘for profit’ and ‘not for profit’ enterprises. Qualities the judges look for include community and stakeholder involvement, conservation of the countryside, projects which deal with recycling, climate change or sustainability, innovation, employment of local people/volunteer inclusion and the preservation of the tranquillity of the countryside.
Since we opened the new Farm Shop we have created 4 full time jobs and more than 8 part time jobs for local people. We support over 100 individual food and drink producers from Sussex and Hampshire and act as a hub connecting those producers to customers with tastings, via the newsletter and through our farmer’s market parties. You can now buy bread, milk, meat, fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging and because we specialize in seasonal local produce, our food and drink have minimal food miles, while preserving the historic South Downs landscape.
While it is still very much work in progress, we do feel that we have achieved a huge amount, especially over the last two years in the new shop, and we’re extremely proud to be able to support so many incredible Hampshire and Sussex food and drink producers within the shop.
It would be a huge bonus to win the rural enterprise award, and the Hampshire Choice Award would be a bonus. We need your vote for the Choice Award, and if you help us to win, we promise to spend that £500 on a new local producer, so get voting here....