Hackney City Farm

ANDREW STUNELL: This morning I am at Hackney City Farm, right in the middle of London. It’s a fascinating experience, never been to one before, in the middle of a built up area just on the edge of a park. There’s animals - sheep, cows, pigs - as well as a vegetable garden and a café. They’ve even got a renewable house. But the whole point of the thing is to show people who otherwise would miss out completely, what it’s like to see where the food comes from, the stuff we eat. And of course it’s a real opportunity for young people, and older people, to get stuck in and enjoy a completely different experience. CHRIS POUND: It’s been really good today to meet Andrew and I was very pleased he came to the farm. This is a great opportunity for us to show him the City farm and all the different projects. It’s not just the farm, it’s all the other engagement with the community projects we do. It’s been interesting to hear a bit about the Big Society. This is a time we are waiting to see how it all unfolds. I’m really pleased that we’ve had the opportunity to put us forward so he can actually see that there are lots and lots of community groups already doing what the Big Society says. [BACKGROUND] So it just shows what you can do on a very small bit of land. ANDREW: Really, I’ve just been coming as a tourist to see what’s going on, to see what the chances are, to see what the opportunities are, to have many more projects like this across the country, where people can play a part as volunteers and help in projects and get to meet their neighbours, learn a lot about the world we live in, and how it can be improved. It’s all part of the work we’re doing as a Ministerial team to see how to make the Big Society a real project that works right across the country.