At the heart of Tuppenny Barn’s approach is the promotion of sustainable living in all its forms.  This underpins all that we do and our aspiration is to be a beacon of sustainability for the community we serve.

We are passionate about food and knowing where our food comes from.  At Tuppenny we grow our fruit and vegetables the organic way because it’s better for our health and our planet as it works with nature not against it.

8 benefits of organic food

Food is grown using natural fertilizers like manure and compost. Weeds are controlled naturally through crop rotation, weeding and mulching. Pests are controlled using natural methods, relying on our birds and insects to control them, rather than chemicals. It’s better for your health, as it contains more antioxidants and lower levels of undesirable pesticides.
It’s also fresher because it hasn’t travelled as many food miles to get to your plate. It reduces environmental pollution and the release of greenhouse gases, as it doesn’t use artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides It’s good for wildlife as the absence of weed killers allows bees, birds and butterflies to thrive. It protects our soils for future generations to grow healthy food.

 

Through learning about growing food, harvesting and cooking it, we want to help people understand where our food comes from, the nutritional benefits of eating fresh fruit and vegetables and give them the knowledge and skills to grow their own, prepare and cook healthy fresh meals.

Creating a better future for our children

There is a proven link between deprivation, poor diet and obesity. Healthy eating is one of the key ways in which we can reduce obesity rates, so our education sessions help teach children (and adults) the importance of cooking fresh, seasonal and healthy food.

Each school term brings young people on school and college trips to Tuppenny Barn. Students have an opportunity to learn about the outdoor environment and our Education Centre has a professional cooking facility so they can experience a ‘fork to fork’ visit, where they can crop produce on site, participate in cooking seasonal produce and then sit down to eat it.

We also run after school clubs, work experience and Duke of Edinburgh placements and work with students who have special needs. During holidays we run workshops with an environmental theme, and Tuppenny becomes an outdoor classroom.

Read more on what we offer schools, nurseries and colleges.

Inspiring communities to grow and cook their own food

It’s not just young people who can benefit from the educational activities at Tuppenny Barn. We run a wide variety of educational experiences and activities for the wider community to develop their horticultural, environmental and countryside craft skills.

Read more on adult learning.

Improving wellbeing through horticulture

We have recently undertaken an exciting new project that will see us develop a Social Horticulture Therapy facility at Tuppenny Barn. There is increasing evidence of the benefits of gardening therapy in improving emotional wellbeing as well as physical health, social functioning and vocational opportunities. We feel that Tuppenny is perfectly suited to provide a safe and encouraging environment for vulnerable individuals that would benefit from this support.

View our events calendar here.