Gorgie City Farm
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Mission Statement
Gorgie City Farm was set up by local people over 35 years ago. Entry is free and we are open 363 days a year; 180,000 people visit the farm each year. The farm is a charity and relies on funding from the local council, charitable funds and donations. We aim to educate city children and adults about farming and food production. We provide farm tours, education workshops and a playgroup for 2-3 year olds. We promote social inclusion by providing volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities; many of our volunteers have learning disabilities and come to the farm with their support worker. We provide school holiday farmer’s helper sessions for 8 to 12 year olds and weekend Young Farmers Clubs. We also welcome groups of people from local companies, trainee vets, cafe and other volunteering opportunities.
About This Cause
MISSION STATEMENT Gorgie City Farm is a food and farming educational charity. It provides volunteering and training opportunities for all in a community space. THE VISION Over the next three years the charity will continue to develop its social inclusion and employability strategy while dedicating resources to developing enterprise activities into a more robust business, with the aim of significantly reducing the charity’s dependence on grant funding towards its increasing charitable activities Create a financially strong and progressive balance sheet to underpin the long-term future of the charity. Reduce reliance on grant income to achieve a 70:30 split in favour of other income sources. Develop and expand social enterprises to secure the charity’s long-term future without the need for grant income. Achieve financial security through a saving account reserve of three months’ costs and a current account cash balance of one month’s expenditure. STRATEGIC GUIDELINES Risk and Finance Strengthen, protect and safeguard the asset and liabilities of the charity by embracing a wide range of income streams with effective management of costs, resources and risks. Human Resources Ensure the charity values and invests in its people. Operations and Farm Management Exercise the best farming practices to deliver a high level of animal welfare and ensure all educational activities complement the Curriculum for Excellence. Customer Experience and Communications Create a welcoming and enjoyable environment for visitors, volunteers and staff and increase awareness of the charity and its work. Executive Summary Gorgie City Farm is a much-loved part of the local community in Edinburgh, operating as a charity, working farm, and social enterprise working towards combined charitable and economic outcomes. Over the next three years the charity will continue to develop its social inclusion and employability strategy while dedicating resources to developing enterprise activities into a more robust business, with the aim of significantly reducing the charity’s dependence on grant funding towards its increasing charitable activities. Social inclusion and employability This is what the charity does best and over the next three years Gorgie City Farm will implement a more refined ‘Pathway’ programme for volunteers. This will further enhance the charity’s successful track record in improving the confidence and employability outcomes for individuals engaged with the charity’s programmes. A three-year rolling grant fundraising strategy The charity has put in place an improved fundraising strategy with the aim of clearer visibility of secured income. Concentrating on significant grant funders with the capacity to award multi-year grants, this work will not only secure delivery of the charity’s activities but provide the foundation to support the overall business plan. Greater focus on income generation The charity has created 2.5 FTE posts to focus on income generation with a target to further decrease the charity’s reliance on grant funding from 30% by the end of the 2019/20 financial year, and a longer term aim to reduce this to 20%. Expanding social enterprise activities The charity will improve current enterprise activities while exploring and implementing new opportunities, including: better quality and greater commercial livestock product targeted marketing campaigns for Pet Boarding to address seasonality further development of facilities hire for room bookings on-site non-subsidised education offerings including outside normal hours engaging with the tourist sector and Marketing Edinburgh to affirm Gorgie City Farm as a tourist destination for organised group visits within Edinburgh further development of food provision on-site Site infrastructure and development The charity will continue to improve the visual appearance of the site to ensure a quality visitor experience as well as an efficiently-managed farm with animal welfare at its heart. The charity will seek funding for significant capital development – notably in the Pet Lodge and Railway Building areas – to connect with the aim to increase enterprise income. The past two years have proven the most demanding yet for the charity. However, through huge effort from staff, trustees and volunteers – as well as the overwhelming support from the public – the charity now finds itself in a fantastic position to advance. Delivering on this business plan will secure the amenity of Gorgie City Farm for the local community as well as opportunities for volunteers supported by the charity for years to come. Background and Governance- Gorgie City Farm is a much-loved part of the local community in Edinburgh, inspiring volunteers and visitors of all ages for 40 years. It proudly offers sessions in agriculture, gardening and handicrafts for adults and children, with activities involving farm animals, crops and exotic creatures. The charity is governed by a Board of Directors who provide senior level experience in fundraising, human resources, auditing and financial planning, agriculture, business law, tax, volunteering, small business management and consultancy. The charity is managed by the Chief Executive, Senior Management Team and their staff teams. Gorgie City Farm is an inclusive organisation open to all regardless of gender, age, race, disability, sexuality or religious belief. This remains at the core of what the charity does and the commitment to delivering equal opportunities for all is essential, whether for staff, volunteers or site users. Over the next three years the charity will review and where appropriate enhance resources and facilities to ensure an ongoing focus on equal opportunities and, subject to financial limitations, that the most appropriate facilities are available to all site users. The skilled and dedicated staff team are an essential component of the charity’s success. We have well established HR policies and terms and conditions of employment. Over the next three years the charity will ensure that all staff members have a personal development plan in place, as well as developing an appropriate succession planning model. The charity will keep terms and conditions of employment under review – bench marking against other third sector organisations in Edinburgh – and subject to profitable business growth ensure that the charity’s employment conditions support the recruitment and retention of high caliber staff. Current Facilities- Gorgie City Farm is one mile west of Edinburgh city centre and is the only working city farm in Scotland. The site is just under three acres with seven small paddocks, a stable block, pig sties, sheep and cattle sheds and a sizeable fruit and vegetable garden. In addition to the agricultural space, the site boasts an educational building with two classrooms and an office, a pet lodge building with veterinary classroom for demonstrating how to care for small domestic animals, as well as a third building with a café, a workshop and additional office space. The site is open year-round, seven days a week from 9.30 am to 4.30pm (4.00pm during winter). The site is increasingly made available outwith these hours for special events, educational activities and event space hire. The site underwent significant redevelopment in 2016/17 with £100k invested in internal and external facilities, increasing the quality of the offering across the site. Business Model- Gorgie City Farm is a working farm, charity, and social enterprise, working towards combined charitable and economic outcomes. With the farming of livestock and vegetables as a base activity, the charity delivers a robust education and social inclusion programme offering a varied activities throughout the year. Aimed at individuals of all ages, the charity offers volunteering opportunities to adults with support needs and young people aged 14-18. In addition to farming and charitable activities, the site is open to the public 363 days a year offering free and bespoke educational tourism activities. To support its charitable outcomes, the charity’s trading subsidiary operates a number of micro-enterprises, including a café, events space hire, children’s parties and events, retail sales, as well as a ‘small animal’ pet boarding business. The charity’s strategy and governance is the responsibility of the Board. Day-to-day operation is vested in the Chief Executive and the staff team, with oversight of operational activity managed by the Board subcommittees – Risk and Finance, Operations and HR. Over the next three years Gorgie City Farm will continue to develop enterprise activities into a more robust business, with the aim of significantly reducing the charity’s dependence on grant funding. Educating the public about food and farming is one of the core aims of Gorgie City Farm. The site is maintained as a free educational resource, welcoming over 220,000 visitors in 2016, a 30% increase on 2015. Over the period of this Business Plan the charity will increase on-site interpretation and activities to further improve the visitor experience, increasing footfall and the proportion of visitor feedback stating they learned something from their visit. In addition to being a free site, the charity offers a range of free and subsidised education activities throughout the year, including: sessions on preparing and cooking fruit and vegetables harvested from the site’s garden (Fork to Fork) over 180 formal education visits per annum, engaging 1,600 school pupils from schools across the region more than 100 children between the ages of 5 and 12 participating in Farmer’s Helpers & Animal Crackers holiday clubs per annum Over the next three years, the the charity will double its education activity by growing enterprise offerings, particularly outside of normal operating hours. These will include a newly designed adult education program focusing on husbandry, food production and crafts, as well as evening tours and workshops for children and young people, including youth or organisations - the charity aim to double education staff complement.