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Women's farming project helping to feed families

Megan Paterson
BBC Look North
Reporting fromBBC North East and Cumbria
BBC A caramel coloured goat is in the middle of two women. The goat is eating hay on a farm. It is a cold day and the women are wearing warm coats. The sky is cloudy and grey. BBC
The 10-acre smallholding in Northumberland has two fields and is home to goats, sheep and chickens

Thousands of women and girls have visited a farm set up after families became isolated during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.

The West End Women and Girls Centre, in Elswick, Newcastle, set up the Fallowlees Farm project in Northumberland in December 2021.

It is the first National Trust farm to be leased to a charity and offers women the chance to grow crops, raise animals and experience nature.

Farm manager Jill Heslop said food produced "goes back to the centre and we give it for free to women and their families, which is lush".

She said the project had uncovered many "would-be farmers" who would not otherwise have ventured outside the city.

"We get women and girls here and then we feed the West End," she said.

The group has secured a long-term lease and as well as planting crops, it has also bought animals.

Jill Heslop is standing in a large barn out of focus behind her, and is wearing a dark green woollen hat and dark blue waterproof coat, open at the top to reveal a pale blue T-shirt. She has short, light brown hair with a fringe and is smiling.
Jill Heslop said feeding people for free was "lush"

TV personality co-ordinator at the West End Women and Girls Centre, Huffty McHugh, delivered soup to people in the Elswick area during the pandemic and found "families of six cramped into two bedroom places with no garden".

The team had a "mad idea" to try and find a farm for the group to use, she said.

"It's about knowledge and learning, it's about freedom and it's about fresh air.

"But also women can come and maybe they are having a hard time, maybe they are feeling isolated, maybe they have issues around mental health, they don't have to do anything, they can come and sit by the fire."

West End Women and Girls Huffty McHugh is standing in front of a dry stone wall on a grey day on a farm in Northumberland. She has short blonde hair. There is rain on her the black shoulders of her jacket, the sleeves of the jacket are purple. A farm building and a small wind turbine can be seen behind her in the mist. West End Women and Girls
Huffty McHugh said girls "run wild" on the farm during summer holidays

The project has helped about 4,000 women and girls.

One Elswick mum, Sophie Murtha, said it allowed her to see parts of the country she would not have otherwise seen.

"It's really good to socialise and learn new things," she said.

She said the fresh air had helped to make her feel happier rather than "being trapped in the city all the time".

Sophie is looking at the camera smiling. She has blonde hair and is wearing glasses and a big cosy scarf in neutral tones. Out of focus over her shoulder women are warming their hands on an open fire.
Sophie Murtha was a member of West End Women and Girls youth groups as a teenager and has come back after having her own children

Ms McHugh said the centre began in 1981 as a challenge to male-dominated clubs.

"At the time, there were loads of youth clubs but they were like mini-working men's clubs," she said.

"There was nowt for the lasses.

"So the local community mams, community activists, we set up a night for the girls."

Since then, the centre has continued to offer a safe place and free support, providing free services such as benefits advice and help with mental health.

The group said there was a big focus on fostering a sense of togetherness and belonging in the culturally diverse neighbourhood.

West End Women and Girls Two women are pulling leaks from the ground in a polytunnel. One of the women is wearing waterproof trousers, Wellington boots and a purple bobble hat, with her blonde hair visible underneath. The second woman is wearing a pink head covering and is bending down near the soil, lifting leaks from the ground and placing them into a plastic crate. West End Women and Girls
Members of the group help to harvest crops and any surplus is taken back to the community centre in Elswick

Shiren Abdullah moved to Elswick 15 years ago from Kurdistan.

At first she experienced hostility from some in the community, who told her to "go back home", she said.

With "no English and no family" Shiren said she felt alone until she found the centre.

Now she works as the charity's community gardener and cooking teacher and described the women as her "second family".

Shiren Abdullah is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black fleece which is dusted with flour on top of a purple jumper. Shiren has dark hair tied in a ponytail.
Shiren Abdullah cooks on an open fire at the farm, sharing the cooking techniques her mother taught her in Kurdistan

Farming sessions run weekly at Fallowlees and workshops for girls take place during summer holidays.

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