After 8 years of organising, fundraising and planning, the farmhouse and new workshops have been open since Spring 2018. Our vision is to transform Bridgend Farmhouse into a community-owned centre for learning, eating and exercise. Our goal is to help people live more healthily and happily, address social inequalities and isolation, strengthen community involvement and contribute to local health, learning and green space strategies. Our plans to renovate the farmhouse are effectivly achieved. Supported by a major capital grant from the Big Lottery Fund and fundraising, the refurbished building includes a training kitchen, café and multi-purpose community spaces. An environmentally sensitive extension adds four workshop spaces, enabling a greater variety of activities to take place. Our intention is that activities will run on a social enterprise, self-sustaining basis. We want our centre to be accessible and welcoming to local people of all ages, including disabled people and those on low incomes or with poor mental well-being. For anyone interested in growing and eating good food, learning some environmental skills or getting more physically active, Bridgend Farmhouse will be the place to come to. We want people to use the farmhouse as a base for accessing Craigmillar Castle Park and woodland for social, educational and recreational activities such as cycling, walking, forest skills and environmental workshops. Our garden will be a great resource for learning about food sustainability and our training kitchen and café will encourage social activities whilst promoting healthy, local eating. Other services we are offering include room hire, social events, ecological and environmental workshops, bike repair workshops, DIY skill shares, themed children’s parties, outdoor education and leadership courses, Self-Directed Support activity programmes and volunteering opportunities. We will build on our active collaboration with all the individuals, voluntary sector and statutory partners who share our vision and have supported us in our journey so far. If you have any thoughts or ideas on services we offer, or others we could, then please get in touch via Facebook or the Contact Us page on our website.
