Staff Volunteering

Queen Mary Careers Service at Stepping Stones Farm: 24 May 2009

"When Provide Volunteering at Queen Mary University arranged for our team to spend a day at Stepping Stones Farm, we didn’t realise what a great day there was in store for us!   When we arrived at the farm we were greeted warmly by the small staff team and set to work clearing away nettles and weeds from some of the main paths on the farm.  This was no small task, but armed with a machete and an assortment of gardening tools we managed over the course of the day to make some of the paths usable for visitors and wheelchairs.  A few of the team also got involving putting a fence up in the paddock: having some unexpected close encounters with the sheep whilst doing it! Getting our hands dirty and seeing the fruit of our labours was hugely rewarding and such practical work was a great team building activity! 

Talking to Theresa, Ian, Kirsty and Matthew during the day it was evident how passionate the staff are about getting the farm up and working, and using it for the benefit of the community.  Their dedication to the project, working unpaid, and stream of ideas was both touching and impressive.  We all agreed that the farm would be a tremendous educational resource to inner city school children and families and as a team would like to add our support to the effort to get it ready for the public." 

Here’s what some of the team said about the day:

“I enjoyed getting out of the office in the great sunshine and doing something really practical.”

“I really enjoyed the enthusiasm of all the staff there, it was infectious!  Thought they were doing a wonderful job and that the farm has such potential.”

“I loved being able to input into the local community and feel like I’d done my bit to help such a wonderful project as the farm.”

We would all thoroughly recommend volunteering at the farm to others, and hope – in due course – to see it open for all the public to enjoy!