Island Community Haven CIC

08/08/2025

🌱🌾 Calling All Local Gardeners & Tree Surgeons! 🌾🌱

Hi neighbours! We’re on the lookout for wood chip donations to help with our animals and garden.

We use wood chip as soft, natural bedding for our animals, and once it’s done its job there, it goes straight into the garden to enrich the soil and make lovely pathways – a full, waste-free cycle! 🌍♻️

If you have any wood chip going spare from tree work, or garden clearances, we’d be so grateful to give it a new purpose.

Please send us a message if you can help!

Thank you from us (and the animals!) 🐓🐐🌿

⚠️ WANTED WOODCHIP ♻️

This is a callout to anyone who may be able to help us source some much-needed woodchip!

Unfortunately, we do not have the means to collect, but would be able to cover fuel money for anyone amazing enough to go an extra mile for a good cause! 🥰

Mr. Pig is in need of fresh flooring and digging material, can you help?!

When we’re done with the wood chip, we don’t let it go to waste, as we compost it here on the farm, making the whole process very eco-friendly. 🌱

Please DM us or call 07495353937 🐷

02/08/2025

🚨 Summer Farm Fun 🌳

Join us for a fun-packed session at The Island Community Haven CIC – completely FREE thanks to Severn Trent’s support!

🎉 Family-friendly activities
🐓 Animal care & feeding
🌻 Garden & orchard exploration
🎨 Arts, crafts & more

This project is part of our mission to support community health, access to fresh food, and outdoor learning.

✔️ Under-18s must be with an adult
✔️ Volunteer form required
✔️ Unfortunately, no Island Project students permitted

Limited spots - Booking essential:

📅 Tuesday 12th August
⏳ 11am - 1pm
🔗 Booking Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-farm-based-summer-session-at-the-island-community-haven-cic-tickets-1472433410969

📅 Wednesday 27th August
⏳ 11am - 1pm
🔗 Booking Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-farm-based-summer-session-at-the-island-community-haven-cic-tickets-1472500792509

19/07/2025

🌞 Summer Sessions at The Haven! 🌱

We’re excited to invite you to TWO FREE farm-based sessions this summer, thanks to funding from Severn Trent Water!

🐐 Meet the animals
🌿 Explore the orchard
🎨 Get creative with crafts
🥕 Plant & harvest in our gardens & much more!

Come relax, connect with nature, and enjoy a few hours on the farm!

📍 All under-18s must be with an adult
📝 Volunteer form required
☕ Café & toilets on-site

Limited spots - Booking essential:

📅 Tuesday 12th August
⏳ 11am - 1pm
🔗 Booking Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-farm-based-summer-session-at-the-island-community-haven-cic-tickets-1472433410969

📅 Wednesday 27th August
⏳ 11am - 1pm
🔗 Booking Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-farm-based-summer-session-at-the-island-community-haven-cic-tickets-1472500792509

04/07/2025

🧠 CHALLENGE ACCEPTED? 🌱

We've created a 50-question multiple-choice quiz all about organic allotment gardening at the farm!

Originally designed for 's alternative provision young people, but we thought... why not challenge our local community too?

Think you know your compost from your companion planting? Can you tell the difference between organic pest control and traditional methods? This quiz is perfect for anyone aged 11+ who wants to test their green-fingered knowledge! 🌿

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting your growing journey, this quiz covers everything from soil health to sustainable growing practices. It's educational, fun, and might just teach you something new about organic gardening principles!

Ready to put your knowledge to the test?

🔗 https://forms.gle/WptU4hz2rLD6AWPk7

29/06/2025

🌳 ORCHARD PROJECT UPDATE 🌳

Thanks to the amazing support from Severn Trent , our community orchard is thriving! We've successfully planted 12 native British trees across our farmland, and it's incredible to see the progress being made!

Young volunteers have been absolute stars - maintaining the trees, creating natural pathways, and regularly checking on tree health. Watching them connect with nature while learning valuable skills has been truly inspiring! 🌱

The best part? We're already seeing small fruits developing on the trees! 🍎🍐

DID YOU KNOW? 🤔

Native British fruit trees like apples and pears can live for over 100 years and produce fruit for decades! A single mature apple tree can yield 15-50 bushels of fruit per year - that's enough to make hundreds of apple pies! Plus, these trees support local wildlife, providing homes for birds and food for pollinators. By planting native varieties, we're not just growing food - we're creating a sustainable ecosystem that will benefit our community for generations to come. 💚

25/06/2025

Recalling World Environment Day, young people at the farm have been learning some vital lessons! ♻️

They've explored composting, growing food, healthy eating, and sustainability, seeing first-hand how it all creates a fantastic closed-loop system at our farm. Every action truly makes a difference! 💚

20/06/2025

Healthy Eating Week has been in full swing at the farm! 🥕

Our animals and young people are loving the fresh, delicious produce straight from our allotment. It's a joy to see everyone enjoying the fruits (and veggies!) of their labour!

15/06/2025

Did you know that donkey hooves need regular trimming to maintain the health and functionality of their hooves. As they don’t typically wear shoes our farrier, Dexter’s, work focuses on ensuring the hoof wall and sole are properly shaped and balanced to prevent issues like lameness and uneven strides 🫏

Thanks again to the wonderful DS Farrier LTD for trimming Charlie and Blue’s hooves and keeping their feet healthy! 🙏🏻

06/06/2025

🌳 Orchard Update! 🌳

We've been working hard in the Orchard. Throughout the half term break a small group of volunteers helped setup some much needed fencing to help keep the pesky goats away from our fruit trees.

Next, we will be looking at setting up a water collection system and building up a picnic bench - dates for meetups will be released on social media soon.

Thank you for your continued support 💚

09/05/2025

🌳🏡 Draycott Village Fund - Yard Sale! 🏕️🌳

On Monday, we pitched up a tent at 's Yard Sale event to raise awareness about The Island Community Haven CIC and our Orchard Project, where we’ve planted 12 fruit trees to help tackle food insecurity.

We sold tote bags, cookies, and pre-loved items, raising £78—but most importantly, we connected with our amazing community and had lots of new sign-ups to our newsletter! 💚

Please consider signing up to keep in the loop with upcoming events, updates on our animals and much more: https://islandcommunityhaven.org.uk/newsletter/

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and showed their support! 🌱✨

26/04/2025

Toby the pygmy goat arrived at The Island on Wednesday! Please give him a warm welcome 🤍

Toby is 6 years old and previously lived at Charnwood Forest Alpacas. He is an escape artist and was causing havoc with the ladies so it was deemed best to rehome him.

Toby is harness trained and has wonderful therapeutic skills. He is already so loved by all of our staff and young people and although we have had to restructure our goat pens as (while he’s a little lad, boy, can he jump), overall he’s settled in well.

He is absolutely adorable and has enjoyed meeting our young people, the animals, and exploring the farm. Welcome, Toby 🐐🤍

02/04/2025

Happy 1st birthday, Edie and Elsie 😻

How are our little kittens 1 already?! This cheeky pair turned 1 in March 2025 and have been living with us for almost a year 🤍🖤

They have grown to have completely different personalities but are both so loving, cheeky, and funny! They’re good mousers and are enjoying the spring sunshine that arrived just in time for their birthday ☀️