Can you imagine Highbridge Community Farm without sheds, water, polytunnels, fruit cages, tools, compost bins, cups of tea, somewhere to sit …? These are just a few of the things that our Infrastructure (“A”) Team take care of.
Initially, the guys worked on maintenance and construction alongside other responsibilities on the plots. Over time, Infrastructure became a team in its own right, acknowledging how important this aspect is to a successful farm project.
Brian Tull and Mike Lucas have documented the A Team story here. It describes how the team designed and built the structures that HCF needed to get started and then to keep pace as it grew and evolved.
They’ve come a very long way since the first days of an empty, rough field!
They’ve built polytunnels, storage for all manner of farm paraphenalia, fences, and communal areas. They’ve given us water pumps and IBCs, electricity, and a loo. They work within constraints determined by our landlord and they reuse where they can.
Their story reminds us how much work has gone into the infrastructure that we rely on. For members who’ve been here a while, you’ll be reminded of the old yellow marquee, tea breaks along the fence line, and the construction of the Big Green Shed.
Find the A Team story, with plenty of photographs, on the “Our history” page of our website. While you’re there, take a look at the e-book that Andrew Ross put together.
We truly have a history and a community to be proud of.