Farm crowdfunding bid gets deadline extension

A crowdfunding campaign to raise £1.49m to buy part of an organic farm has been given a deadline extension.

The Babbinswood Farm Community Benefit Society was established last year to buy land at Babbinswood Organic Farm, near Whittington in Shropshire.

The society aims to buy up to 117 acres, which includes native woodland and buildings, to keep it as a "community benefit society", owned by shareholders.

It had raised £88,700 by its original deadline of the end of March but now has until the end of September to gather the money if it wants to avoid the land being sold on the open market.

Casha Bowles-Jones, who farms there with her husband Adam, said the land was being sold due to a family break-up.

She wanted the society to buy it so that they could continue to farm there and "continue stewarding the land organically".

The society said it had been a "highly successful start to the campaign".

The farm currently has a farm shop, holds open days and film nights and teaches people to grow food in a community garden.

Ms Bowles-Jones is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Babbinswood, and she said if she was able to carry on running it, she would introduce more community initiatives that include a farm-friendly dog walk.

The society has said if the full £1.49m could not be raised, there were alternative plans in place if it could meet a minimum target of £800,000.

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