Seeds sown at Citycamp are already sprouting in Chorlton

I’m a big fan of Incredible Edible Todmorden and so it was great to hear Paul Clarke from IET at the recent CityCampMCR event.  Paul talked about the idea of a ‘Pop-up Farm’, something that came out of their ‘plotting shed’ – a space for coming together and developing new ideas.  The notion of using our understanding of farming to build a community hub was an idea that made a lot of sense to me.  My heart would like me to be working away on a farm in the country yet my mind keeps me in the city.  Could the ‘Pop-up Farm’ bring the two together?

I started developing the Chorlton ‘Pop-up Farm’ at CityCampMCR and now the seeds have been firmly planted in Chorlton.  I raised the idea at a recent Transition Chorlton meeting. Just as I had hoped the ideas and possibilities were really exciting. I’ve already made contact with a host school and applied for a ‘You Decide’ bid for £750. Everyone I’ve talked to seems to be really positive about the idea. Our schools are at the heart of our communities, yet there seems to be obstacles to the communities utilising the space and resources they offer.  The ‘Pop-up Farm’ could have the potential to unlock this.

The project will start as a simple food-growing project within a school but will hopefully lead somewhere more exciting.  The access to the pupils, parents, curriculum and space would open up huge avenues for community groups and social enterprises.  With this comes lots of knowledge, expertise and innovations that the schools could have at their disposal as learning resources. The ‘Pop-up Farm’ will hopefully go from food projects to ones that focus on recycling, technology or a local currency.

If anyone would like more information about the Chorlton ‘Pop-up Farm’ or would like to get involved please get in touch at rowe.m.s [at] gmail.com

Matthew Rowe