Financial Statements and Directors’ Report
For the year ended 31 March 2025
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER 06855753 REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1136448
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Contents
| Directors’ Report | Page | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Examiner’s report | Page | 27 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | Page | 28 |
| Statement of Financial Position | Page | 29 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | Pages | 30 |
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Directors’ Report
The Directors of Stepney City Farm (hereinafter referred to as the Farm or the Charity or the Company) present their Report and independently examined Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025. The Report and Statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small entities and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS102 (effective 1 January 2015).
Reference and Administrative Details
Company Name Stepney City Farm Registered Company Number 06855753 Registered Charity Number 1136448 Registered Office Stepney City Farm, Stepney Way, London, E1 3DG
Directors and Trustees
The Directors of Stepney City Farm are also its Trustees for the purposes of charity law and are referred to throughout this Report as the Directors.
The Directors who held office during the year, unless otherwise indicated, were as follows:
Alice Thornton Chair Sapna Ajwani Edward Gaze Treasurer Dil-veer Kang Neil Lambert Subhendu Maji Syeda Jeba Maleque Victoria Park Josephine Pertwee Thuy Ho Preuveneers Annabel Shipway (Resigned September 2025) Dr Elizabeth Venables
Company Secretary
Clare Hawkins Bankers The Co-operative Bank, 80 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NJ Triodos Bank, Brunel House, 11 The Promenade, Clifton BS8 3NN Shawbrook Bank Ltd, Lutea House, Warley Hill Business park, The Drive, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex CM13 3BE Independent Examiner Catherine Sullivan, 5 Marneys Close, Epsom KT18 7HR
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Objectives and Activities
The objects of the charity, as set out in its Articles of Association, are:
To promote, for the benefit of the inhabitants of Stepney and the surrounding area, the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation, of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social and economic circumstance or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the conditions of lives of the said inhabitants. To provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity, disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving the conditions of the lives of the said inhabitants. To advance the education of the public at large, in agriculture, horticulture, crafts, country life, protection and improvement of the natural environment through best environmental practices, especially by encouraging reduction, re-use and recycling, and related subjects.
Principal Activity
The principal activity of the organisation in the year under review was to develop and run a city farm for the educational and social benefit of the residents of Stepney and surrounding areas in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. We achieved this by using our resources to provide learning, recreational and volunteering opportunities for all ages.
Public Benefit
The objects of the charity are for public benefit, specifically around the provision of educational and social opportunities related to food, farming and caring for the wider environment. We do not charge for the majority of our services to the community and in cases where we do charge we offer concessionary rates for those less able to pay. We ensure that our services and facilities are all wheelchair accessible and do not restrict benefits to those with particular personal characteristics.
The charity creates and maintains a life-long learning environment where local people and others further afield can gain knowledge, skills, confidence and learning opportunities through farm activities. In planning the Farm Business Plan and the activities taking place, the Directors pay due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit.
Remuneration Policy
All staff salaries including key staff are reviewed annually as part of an appraisal process conducted by their line manager. The CEO's appraisal is conducted by the Chair of Trustees. Salary increases are built into funding bids for those posts which are funded by grants. The Board of Trustees recently reviewed all salaries for parity across the staff pay levels, and have awarded cost of living increases to all staff.
Other charities and related parties There were no transactions between the charity and related parties that required disclosure. The Farm was a member of the following organisations as this was considered beneficial to achieving our objectives:
Capital Growth; East London Business Alliance; Social Farms & Gardens; London Food Link; London Youth; London Environmental Educators Forum; The National Farmers’ Union; Sustain; National Council of Voluntary Organisations; The Permaculture LAND Network; Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets; Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Services; Women’s Environmental Network Food Partnership.
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Achievements and Performance
Chief Executive's Summary
In 2024-25, the Stepney City Farm team continued to prioritise our drive to strategically build upon our communities and educational programming.
There were exciting successes across the year, most notably the impact of having our Sylheti-speaking staff members on site. The response of the local community to our increased offer of Bangladeshi produce and to having Sylheti-language workshops, as well as being able to have day-to-day interactions without a language barrier, has been so positive that these posts will now be retained on a permanent basis.
Other community programme highlights included the set-up of a new educational mushroom growing facility on site, supported by Kew Garden’s Grow Wild fund. Volunteers and groups were able to learn the processes of inoculation, cultivation and harvesting. By September, we had our first crops of wine cap, oyster and shitake mushrooms.
In animal news, our long-standing flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep were retired to the country with former Farmyard Manager Tom in August, and new Farmyard Manager Aimee introduced a new flock of Exmoor Horns, chosen for their educational value as a native breed. In February 2025, their first six lambs were born strong and healthy.
Now that the major site works of recent years have been completed, we are fortunate to have the means to stay on top of preventative and remedial maintenance, thanks largely to unrestricted donations made by corporate volunteering groups across the year. In summer 2024, we were able to undertake a major project to replace aging and broken field-fencing across our pig, sheep, donkey and goat enclosures, putting our infrastructure in good stead for the future.
In November it was all-change for the Farm’s popular on-site café. Tenants Betty and Lucy Cuthbert, who had run the space as the Allotment Kitchen for four years, decided to move on to focus on family and new projects. They left big shoes to fill, but also an opportunity for the Farm to review local needs and design a tender process accordingly. We sought new tenants who would focus on a high quality but affordable menu inclusive of halal requirements, and who would be keen to collaborate with the Farm to further our environmental and community objectives. We were delighted to award the lease to a new partnership - Natasha Sayliss, owner of popular local café Mae + Harvey, and Florence Creffield, a chef at the Bonnington community café. Florence and Natasha have been investing extensively in renovations to the café, and there is much anticipation in the local community for their grand opening in May.
Going into 2025-26, we have been overjoyed to learn that a major funding application to the National Lottery Community Fund has been successful. This funding will cover core staffing roles including the Lead Food Grower, Farmyard Manager, and Communities Programme Manager for the next five years, ensuring the financial security of the Farm, fairer pay for key staff, and allowing us to realise our ambition to recentre our community and engagement activities at the heart of our programming.
- Clare Hawkins, Chief Executive
Promoting animal welfare and ethical farming practices
In 2024-25 the Farm continued to promote ethical and sustainable animal farming practices, and to educate urban residents on the origins of food through high welfare animal husbandry and the sale of meat.
Across the year, Farmyard Manager Aimee Robertson, who joined us from Lambourne End Farm in January 2024, led the renovation of some of our animal facilities, most significantly project managing the replacement of substantial sections of our field fencing which had reached the end of their lifespan. This
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investment will benefit the Farm and our livestock programme for years to come, and in summer 2024 allowed us to begin utilising the large field in the centre of the Farm (previously the site of our allotments) for grazing and to expand our capacity for pasture rotation.
Day to day, Aimee oversaw animal care and upheld high standards, including carrying out daily animal health checks; routine health care procedures; maintaining an inventory of medicines and equipment; training and managing a range of volunteers; and managing the educational and wellbeing aspects of working with the animals. In 2024-25, our livestock included goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese, and animals kept for educational and therapeutic reasons such as donkeys, ferrets, guineapigs and rabbits.
Aimee also reviewed our livestock strategy, choosing a range of new poultry and sheep species for the Farm based on their educational value and the preservation of native breeds. In August 2024, the Manx Loaghtan flock were purchased by previous Farmyard Manager Tom Goody for his new small holding in Oxfordshire, and a new breeding flock of four Exmoor Horn ewes and one ram were procured from a breeder in the west country.
In spring 2025 six lambs were born strong and healthy to the new flock. Along with our latest litter of seven Berkshire piglets born in November 2024, some will be sold for breeding, and some will go for meat for our local community to buy. This is an important part of the annual cycle of the Farm, with one of our key objectives being to help urban communities to understand where their food comes from, and to make kinder and more sustainable buying choices.
In February, we were pleased to be awarded further funds by the Jack Petchey Foundation for one of our Young Farmers to buy and build a much-needed new chicken coop. This programme has offered wonderful opportunities over many years for our Young Farmers to make meaningful contributions to the development of the site, which they can be proud of for years to come. The chickens - including three new breeding Polish hens selected for the Farm by Aimee - are now enjoying their new accommodation.
Important projects completed by corporate volunteering groups across the year included the full netting over of the poultry enclosures, ensuring that should bird flu restrictions come into force again in future, our chickens and ducks can continue to roam in the maximum area possible.
Our Greencare volunteering sessions continued to provide one of our key entry routes for training and best practice in animal care. Sessions run twice a week, and participants can assist with tasks including feeding, mucking out and grooming, as well as learning about careers and opportunities in animal care. Interest remains very high, and across the year the number of regular participants increased from around 50 to over 70.
Food Growing
Stepney City Farm is one of a strong network of environmental education charities in Tower Hamlets providing access to greenspace, biodiversity, and connection with nature, and the site has over an acre of space dedicated to food growing.
Staff practice and teach ecological and sustainable farming and gardening practices, promote understanding of the origins of food and healthy eating, and provide access to fresh seasonal produce in the most densely populated urban borough in England.
We don’t allow the use of any pesticides, artificial fertilisers or mechanised gardening tools, and adhere to permaculture methods in our food growing. We encourage wild areas for insect habitat and practice companion planting in our growing areas. This increases biodiversity for the local area and facilitates our community to understand the benefits of ecological growing and to practice it more widely - including by buying from our range of seasonal plants to grow their own food at home.
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Animal waste and straw is recycled on site into compost which goes back onto the Farm for growing. The site has two main growing fields, two large poly tunnels, and a smaller polytunnel with heated beds for propagation, all fully irrigated by a system incorporating rainwater harvesting. The growing areas also include a forest garden with fruit trees.
We grow seasonal varieties of fruit, vegetables and herbs, selected according to demand as well as for biodiversity and cultural popularity. Two commercial storage fridges ensure that produce can be harvested all week for sale on our Saturday market stall. Some produce is also grown to order for sale to our onsite cafe so that visitors can experience the full farm to fork cycle, and some is sold to other local restaurants and shipped by bicycle courier.
Our original objective was for food growing to be developed into a financially self-sustaining social enterprise. However, it has not been possible to break even with staffing costs, so food growing is now categorized as core charitable delivery; one of the activities around which volunteering, educational and wellbeing programmes revolve.
Lead Food Grower Danielle Stennett strategically oversees growing activities on site, coordinating gardening tasks for our varied groups and beneficiaries, and recruiting, managing and training a cohort of 10 Food Growing Trainees each year. Trainees join Danielle on Wednesdays for 6 months, receiving a curriculum of lessons in market gardening and hands-on experience of the full food growing cycle, with a view to future employability as food growers.
The team has grown in recent years, with a second part-time Food Grower and two part time Sylhetispeaking Food Growers, meaning that we have growing staff on site 7 days a week. For six months in 2024, we were also fortunate to be joined by community gardener Justine Pearsall thanks to the John Lewis Golden Jubilee secondment fund.
The Sylheti-speaking Food Grower posts were originally funded in 2023 by a grant from the Women’s Environmental Network. With 53.3% of Stepney’s immediate local community being of Bangladeshi origin, the benefit of these roles has been immense. After the end of the 15-month grant in November 2024, the posts were retained through unrestricted reserves, and in 2025 we have been delighted to secure them for the next five years as part of our major new National Lottery Community Fund grant.
With our expanded growing team, we have explored how food growing can better meet local needs, learning from and including people from local communities with their own experience of traditional farming and growing techniques. Our range of Bangladeshi produce has continued to expand, and although the overall income from produce has remained steady over the last few years, in 2024-25 we saw a 20% shift from restaurant sales to market sales due to the popularity in the local community of our new vegetables, including snake gourd, Kodu, and Ori.
However, the growing team did have challenges to overcome in 2024-25. A very long mild winter resulted in a lot of pests thriving by the beginning of the year. Slugs and snails had been eating a lot of seedlings in our propagation tunnel, with crops such as basil and kale needing to be resowed up to six times. Aphids were also very apparent in the tunnels resulting in us losing a crop of lettuce and bronze fennel.
We were hopeful that things would take a turn for the better in spring. However, the weather remained damp and cloudy - the exact opposite of what our summer crops – cucumbers, tomatoes, and courgettes needed. When some nice weather eventually arrived, it was too late in the season to make any difference to our crop yields. After the summer solstice the day lengths start shortening, signalling summer crops to slow down and eventually stop producing. As a result, we unfortunately didn’t have the crop yield or diversity to sell our popular veg boxes in Summer 2024.
However, across the year we thankfully still achieved good harvests of kale, wild garlic, three-cornered leek, spring onions, chard, broad beans, kodu, hyacinth beans, denga, apples, blackberries, herbs, wildflower bunches and more.
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At the end of the growing season, Lead Food Grower Danielle reflected on her experience across her first full year of growing Bangladeshi vegetables: “One piece of knowledge I learnt this year is when to harvest Uri beans. From my knowledge of growing French and runner beans, you don’t let the bean inside fully ripen if you want to eat the pods, as they become tough and fibrous making them difficult to eat. This is the opposite for Uri beans, the mature pods are favoured for eating and so the pods are left on the plants to ripen for much longer than you would let a French bean.
“Once the crops started to mature and we began harvesting Chichinga (snake gourd) and all the other crops, we quickly realised that we didn’t sow or plant enough to keep up with the demand for vegetables on the market. As a team, we have noted this for next year and will be upping our seed sowing quantities.
“Overall, it has been a fantastic year, and we couldn’t be more grateful for our newfound knowledge of growing techniques.”
Food Grower Sajia Nessa said: “When I joined the Farm in August 2023 with Tahmina (Aziz) we planned, with the help of Lead Food Grower Danielle, to add Bangladeshi vegetables to the Farm produce list. The idea was to engage the various communities that live in the area to come and buy Bangladeshi vegetables. To my delight we had an excellent outcome growing the vegetables and I felt like my dreams had come true! It was joyful to harvest the things that we have grown from seed.
“I spent some time working at our Farm Shop on Saturday market days and displayed recipes for customers to take inspiration from when buying the new vegetables. I would also encourage our diverse community to try something new. Of course, they were very popular with the local Bangladeshi population. Because I could talk to them in Bangla I would encourage them to try some of the other vegetables we grow on the Farm as well, which they may not have tried before.
“During summer we held a composting workshop in the Sylheti language for local Bangladeshi residents. Many came and joined the workshop and now they find it easier to understand how composting works. If the workshop had been in English only, I don’t think many people would have come to the session. Now they know how composting works, and the feedback was excellent.
“Many of the Farm’s allotment plot holders only speak Sylheti. Last year, the plots were moved and rebuilt in a different part of the Farm, and so Tahmina and I have been able to communicate and interpret and help with challenges and issues that have arisen. Now the new allotments have come to life in the last year, the allotment holders are happy and that’s been very rewarding to see.”
The whole Farm team and the Board of Trustees are delighted that we can now continue to build on this momentum through our new National Lottery Community Fund grant, which starts in September 2025 and will secure our whole food growing team for the next five years.
Education Programme
Our educational offer has been developed by highly skilled staff over 15 years of operation. Ecological mixed agriculture, environmental improvement and biodiversity are the basis for our formal and informal learning programmes for schools and youth. Through our sessions, children develop an awareness of more healthy and sustainable living habits and take their learning home to parents and families. They can also develop a sense of empathy and responsibility from looking after animals and reap the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors in greenspace and nature. For children not in mainstream education, they can develop confidence through the achievement of tasks in a different environment to the classroom. Tower Hamlets is one of 9 boroughs in England appearing in the lists of both the top 20 highest percentage of children (26.6%) and older people (43.9%) living in income deprived households in England (IMD 2019). The borough has London’s highest level of child poverty, at 57%. Over 15,000 children are eligible for free school meals. Children experiencing deprivation can suffer from lowered aspirations, decreased confidence, and physical and mental health issues. The positive impact of outdoor education on
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these factors is well documented. The Farm is a best-practice model of sustainable farming in the heart of one of the most deprived urban boroughs in the country, providing a gateway to rural careers and environmental education. In 2024-25:
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5,146 individual children and young people attended free workshops and educational Farm tours covering topics including the lifecycle of farm animals; biodiversity; recycling; and food growing. This included our regular Young Farmer sessions, primary school groups, work experience students, Youth Justice Service placements, and SEN groups. The total number of attendances at sessions was 5,544.
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76% of school children attending sessions were from minority ethnic groups, and 62% were on free school meals.
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112 young people completed 3,596 hours of farming and nature-based volunteering activities across 166 sessions. 83% had social, emotional and mental health needs, ESOL, were newly arrived immigrants, asylum seekers, SEN students, young offenders, NEET / EBD / permanently excluded / LAC, or known to police. 71% were from minority ethnic groups.
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32 young people completed work-based qualifications with us including ASDAN.
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168 local schools and alternative education providers engaged with the Farm through its programmes, including primary schools, high schools, home school groups, colleges, social services, the Youth Justice Service, and youth service providers.
Over the years we have continually fundraised to sustain and expand our Education Programme to meet demand, and we now employ a Schools Programme Manager four days per week, two Youth Programme Managers two days per week each, and a Youth Programme Assistant on Sundays. Across 2024-25 these roles were generously funded by the Ernest Cook Trust; the Ratcliff Educational Foundation; Latimer by Clarion; Allen Overy; and the Atkin Foundation.
Schools
Primary school children are the Farm’s largest beneficiary group in terms of programme delivery, and the Farm features a dedicated Classroom and Children’s Garden. In 2024-25, Schools Programme Manager Rosie Mercer continued to run up to 8 curriculum-linked tours and workshops for key stages 1-4 each week. Groups were able to book from an expanded portfolio of 37 different sessions, including:
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Plants, Food Growing & Gardening
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Farm to Fork: Food Systems
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Use it Again! Waste & Recycling
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Habitats: Homes for Plants & Animals
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Guided Farm Tour
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Introduction to Farm Animals
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Lifecycle of a Chicken
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Animal Teeth & Feed
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Sustainable Energy: Biogas and Coppiced Wood
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Pond dipping
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Bees and pollinators
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Egg incubation project – 2 sessions + support
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Early Years Guided Farm tour
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Early Years Show & Tell
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Early Years – six different animal workshops
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Early Years – three different growing workshops
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Seasonal Changes: 4 sessions
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Potato project: 7 sessions
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Family Holiday Club: 8 sessions
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After School Nature Project: 20 sessions
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Our Plants, Food Growing and Gardening workshop, as well as the guided tour were particularly popular across 2024-25, and the spring school visit numbers were the highest since before the pandemic. When we received an unexpected offer from corporate partner CMS to donate a new beehive and bee colony to the Farm in May 2024, Rosie was able to utilise some previous experience that she had in beekeeping to manage the hive on site. The gift came with a donation to help develop a series of new school workshops on bees and pollinators, and for Rosie to deliver mini bee-keeping sessions for CMS staff. Subsequently, more Farm team members have been trained up to manage the hive, and we have been able to offer pollinator learning experiences for volunteers.
In 2024, Rosie also worked in partnership with Tower Hamlets Council to deliver six summer farm experience sessions for 50 children and young people over the summer holidays. These included nature art classes, hands-on gardening and animal care sessions, and “Farmer for a Day” experiences for young people. Rosie said: “It was great to offer something different from the usual term time workshops, and to be able to see parents getting involved as well. A few of the families came back again later in the holidays as visitors.”
In addition, Rosie had the capacity across the year to work closely with Bowden School and JFK - two local alternative provision and SEMH schools - to create a year-long curriculum-linked programme of bespoke sessions to cater for special educational needs, to be delivered across the academic year. The sessions kicked off in the Autumn term, and Bowden School told us:
“The sessions have been pitched perfectly for our children. The resources shared prior to the sessions are clear and concise. They support the learning outcomes well and the ways in which they are related to the Farm helps to keep the children engaged. The resources are generous, and this enables us to reduce the amount of information needed whilst ensuring we have enough content to keep the children engaged.”
“The children appear relaxed during and after the visits. The fresh air helps, the practical work helps and being involved in their community helps.
“The sessions have enriched our curriculum in a way we could have never done on our own. The sessions at the Farm complement our garden and cooking sessions as we seek to help connect the children to nature and the natural world.
“Children that were scared to enter the site are now walking in with ease. The visits have allowed us to safely challenge the personal resilience of some of our pupils in very productive ways. The opportunity to have routine moments in nature developed into many of the children becoming more and more keen on spending more time in nature and looking to connect with nature in more areas of their schooling and life.”
The SEN sessions were also rolled out to London East Alternative Provision, and they told us: “The impact on the children's wellbeing was extremely positive. Our children responded well to an outdoor environment and getting stuck in with practical tasks. They experienced successes that they have not experienced in a traditional classroom setting, which in turn has boosted confidence. Working with Rosie on pre-teaching has enabled our students to access parts of the science curriculum in a really accessible way. “One of our children often finds limitations in learning, due to his autism, sensory needs or anxiety (e.g. getting hands dirty in cooking). However, on the Farm, perhaps due to his connection with nature and animals, he is usually able to overcome these limitations. The student also has the view that tasks on the Farm are useful. He sees purpose in getting involved and doing tasks on the Farm. The Farm makes sense to him!
“The children have been developing lots of 'soft skills' on the Farm, such as turn-taking, sharing equipment, using kind and gentle hands with the animals, listening to Rosie's instructions, being safe on the journey to and from… the list is endless.”
Rosie’s highlights also included the opportunity to create extra-curricular sessions for other groups across the year: “I worked with the Beavers from 16th East London Scouts, the local Scouts group who are based just around the corner of the Farm. They visited for 3 sessions to complete their animal badge. I created
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bespoke workshops for them to learn all about our rabbits and how to care for them, which they would then be able to share with their community.
“In the feedback, they said they really appreciated having the chance to spend time with and handle the rabbits - they particularly enjoyed making enrichment toys as they could see how much the rabbits enjoyed them, which brought a lot of satisfaction to the children and made them feel they had contributed towards the Farm. The Scout leaders also mentioned that the group really appreciated the relationship the Farm has built up with their group and making them feel valued as members of the Farm community.”
Youth
Our Youth Programme aims to improve life outcomes for young people and enhance their connection to food, farming, and the natural world, with a focus on individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is a high demand for engagement from individuals and partner organisations, and we maintain flexibility in delivery, tailoring projects to accommodate different aims, needs, abilities and timelines for participants and for external partners and service providers.
Across 2024-25, Youth Programme Managers Martin Osman and Georgia Jones delivered this complex offer encompassing workshops, tours, work experience and youth volunteering for groups and individuals aged 12–17 (up to 26 for Special Education Needs groups). Participants are usually not in mainstream education for a variety of reasons, and much activity is delivered in partnership with youth service providers, helping to reach some of the most at-risk and underserved youth in the community - including SEN groups, young offenders, looked after young people, and those with emotional or mental health difficulties.
Recent highlights have included:
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“Inspire!” work experience block week partnership: 3 weeks with 3 schools with 6 students each session;
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Know Your Onions / School Food Matters: food growing workshops provided for groups of students aged 12–13 on free school meals, pupil premium, EAL and SEND;
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New City College: Ongoing sessions with students who have recently immigrated to the UK or have been granted refuge in the UK;
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Wiper’s Youth mentoring partnership: visits for young people not in education or work;
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Work experience: students completing placements to attain qualifications in animal care, veterinary or zoology courses. Mainly students from Capel Manor college and City of Islington college, but also students from the Royal Veterinary College, self-referrals, international students, and block-week experience organised by Switch;
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Stepney All Saints: ongoing sessions with special needs class ages 14-15.
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Tower Hamlets Youth Justice Service: young offenders completing reparations based on hours set by court:
Case study: Niyazz: 50 hours under the Youth Justice scheme:
“Niyazz began his placement with us with no experience at all working on a garden or with animals. However, he quickly took a shine to growing food. His attendance was superb, at times he even turned up before his support worker. He had really innovative ideas, and implemented them in the gardens. He got on so well, that when his reparation period was drawing to an end, Martin referred him to be fast tracked onto the Bankside Future Gardeners scheme. He is now studying level 2 Horticulture with Bankside Future Gardeners, where 80% of graduates gain employment in the sector. To date, Niyazz has not reoffended.”
- King’s Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) - working in partnership to design a new youth project for delivery on the Farm in Summer 2025.
Of his personal highlights of the year, Martin said: “A non-verbal SEN young person sent a letter of thanks to me, including all her thoughts on what the experience at the Farm had meant to her that she
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couldn't say to me in person while at the Farm. I also received a poster of thanks from three young people who I steered through their ASDAN qualifications. I knew I’d really made a difference.
“I was also so happy to be able to give a Jack Petchey award to Shahiem, a young person who returned to the Farm this year after previously completing a placement and going to college. Sadly, the college course didn’t work out for him, and this had impacted on his confidence. He returned to the Farm as a place where he felt safe. When we nominate a young person for a Jack Petchey award, it comes with a budget which they can choose to spend on items beneficial to the Farm. Shahiem decided that he wanted to put his budget toward a new chicken coop, and he was able to help with building it, making a tangible impact which he can see for years to come. I’ve been really proud to see his confidence growing week by week over the past few months.”
The Jack Petchey Foundation is a key partner for our Youth Programme, and for many years has supported our young people with their Awards scheme and associated grants. Each year, our Youth team can nominate three young people for an award, which comes with a budget of £300 each, and one person for a Leader Award, which comes with a budget of £1,000.
The final strand of our youth programming is our long-running Young Farmers sessions, which provide opportunities for two cohorts of 10 young people each year to work and learn on the Farm every Sunday. The benefits of the programme include enhancements in social skills and fostering a sense of responsibility through caring for animals and assisting with Farm management. Participants also experience improvements in physical and mental health from working outdoors with plants and nature, and benefit from a greater understanding of where food comes from, and how to eat and live more sustainably. Across the year, Georgia delivered a new annual curriculum for the group which she co-designed with the 2023 cohort encompassing different aspects of animal care and gardening. She also allowed lots of space for the new cohort to develop their own ideas: “I’ve run focus groups with the new cohort of Young Farmers to identify their areas of interest. As a result, I’ve been able to work with Farmyard Manager Aimee to develop a new lambing workshop for them which we’ll deliver together in the spring. I’m really excited, and if we’re lucky, the group may even be on site to see one of next year’s lambs born!”
Communities Programme
Tower Hamlets is the most densely populated borough in England, with 42,680 people per square mile. Between 2011 and 2021, our population increased by 22.1% - the highest increase in England (national average: 6.6%). Many people live in poor housing and high-rise buildings with no outdoor space of their own. Studies indicate that these factors have a negative impact on mental health, and Tower Hamlets suffers the highest level of psychiatric admissions in London.
Stepney City Farm is a Social Farms & Gardens accredited Greencare provider. Our Communities Programme encompasses our core opportunities for local underserved communities and people with lived experience of mental health, learning disabilities and physical disabilities to connect with the origins of food, with nature, and each other and to reap the well-documented physical and mental health benefits of greenspace, working with animals, and social contact.
Twice weekly therapeutic Greencare volunteering sessions provide a safe, supported space for more than 70 regular participants. The group includes those with physical and mental health needs, emotional issues and trauma, and those systemically and socio-economically disadvantaged. Across 2024-25, Communities Programme Manager Susy Langsdale delivered the sessions and managed recruitment, induction, pastoral care, and onward referrals. Activities included gardening and animal care tasks, and related workshops such as herbal tea making, creative nature projects, and meditation. In the wake of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the demand for our greencare group continues to increase year-on-year. For some participants, the sessions are their main social contact in the week, and we see changes in them over time as they grow in confidence and support each other. Impact measurement using baseline surveys, focus groups and case studies show increases in feelings of confidence, and reduction in feelings of isolation for
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participants. Sessions have supported group members through traumatic life events including homelessness, bereavement, mental health crises, and unemployment.
Susy also works with many other local service providers to integrate activities on the Farm into their programming, diversifying our reach and supporting the inclusion of underserved demographics. This includes bespoke workshops and tours for up to 30 organisations and projects annually, as well as longer term therapeutic engagement projects. In 2024-25, groups engaged with projects included:
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Barts Health Trust - RLH - Community Stroke team
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Barts Health Wellbeing Group
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Blueprint Architects
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East London Foundation trust
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The Geezers
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Home Ed Farmers
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Kin Structures
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Micro Rainbow
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Neurodivergent Society, Queen Mary University of London
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Roma Support Group
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SAYes Mentoring
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Step Up - Volunteer Centre Hackney
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The Stuart Low Trust
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Spitalfields City Farm volunteers
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U3A Tower Hamlets
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UCL Citizen Science Academy
Twelve local service providers and charities are also regularly supported by Susy to manage community growing beds on the Farm, giving their service users opportunities for therapeutic gardening activities and to grow their own produce. Currently the community beds are occupied by:
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Apasen (supports adults with learning disabilities)
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Bromley-By-Bow Patients (patients with chronic conditions, organised through social prescription)
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Create Day Centre (day centre for adults with learning disabilities)
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The Geezers (social group for older isolated men)
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Home Ed Farmers (local homeschooling community)
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John Howard Centre (specialist forensic psychiatric services)
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Ocean Women’s Association (supporting women from the Ocean Estate)
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Praxis (supporting migrants and refugees)
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Stepney Community Trust (community self-help actions, housing and welfare)
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Stitches in Time (supporting ESOL women through sewing and creative activities)
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U3A Tower Hamlets – social group for those in their ‘Third Age’ and no longer in full time work
Susy and the rest of our team work closely with the Ocean Women's Association, who have been involved with the Farm since 2013, and currently have Lottery funding to run coffee mornings and gardening sessions on site for NEET Bangladeshi women. This partnership has been key to local engagement for many years, and in 2024-25 we worked together to arrange for the NHS to deliver on site Sylheti language vaccine education, cervical screening education, and mental health support at the Farm.
For three years now Ocean Women's Association have also helped us to organise an annual community Eid festival on the Farm open to all faiths. For the latest event in July 2024 the group worked with the Farm café to cook traditional dishes to feed 100 people including members of all our other regular community groups, and our Sylheti-speaking Food Growers got involved by curating music, running stalls, and serving up food.
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Other highlights of the Communities Programme for the year included the set-up of a new educational mushroom growing facility on site, supported by Kew Garden’s Grow Wild fund. In June 2024, the “fungarium” was created in a metal shed with an electrical supply to power the necessary climate control equipment, and our community groups were able to help with the processes of inoculation, cultivation and harvesting. By September, we were excited to have our first crops of wine cap, oyster and shitake mushrooms, and groups have been learning all about the ecological benefits and applications of mycelium.
In July, the Greencare group did a special series of sessions helping to develop the habitat around our large wildlife pond, first established in 2021. They built dead hedges, ideal for encouraging a range of insects, and did pond dipping sessions to help monitor and record the rich ecosystem of pondlife which has developed over the first four years.
In August, the Farm’s seasonal produce offer included a wide range of fruit and berries, providing an ideal opportunity for our community groups to learn about methods of preserving and utilising seasonal gluts. With our many elder trees laden with elderberries, Susy ran a special workshop on making elderberry syrup – known for its use by herbalists through the ages to relieve cold symptoms. Our greencare volunteers learned how to identify and harvest elderberries and process them into a syrup that they could take home.
In September, Susy delivered a Farm tour and plant identification workshop for Kin Structures, stewards of community centre the Soanes Centre, a space providing learning opportunities for local children and young people in ecology and natural science. Through this collaboration, we learned that the Soanes Centre is at risk of closure and we have been able to work to help support and raise awareness of their situation, strengthening a connection in the Farm’s important local network of environmental education providers.
Also in September, the Farm took part in the annual City Farms & Gardens Harvest Festival at Lambourne End. This is always a great opportunity for our volunteers and communities to get involved, and several of the greencare group members were able to go along and represent the Farm, take part in competitions, and learn more about animal showing and rare breeds which they would not have had the opportunity to encounter in Tower Hamlets.
In October, Susy ran a special hop planting activity with the Bow Geezers, a community group for older men at risk of isolation, who have one of the community growing beds on the Farm allocated to them. From the late 1800s until the 1970s, hopping was an annual event for East Enders who would spend two weeks at the beginning of September picking hops, a tradition that some of the group members are old enough to remember – in fact for some it was their only holiday of the year. The group decided to team up with the Walthamstow Beer Project to plant hops around the Farm, and in September 2025, they’ll be harvesting them to create our very own Stepney beer. The project chimes with the discovery by the Museum of London in 2010 of hop seeds on our site in a ceramic pot from the 17[th] century, an echo of the pastoral past of Stepney.
In November, the greencare group learned all about vinegar extraction. Evidence suggests that indigenous and folk healers across the world have made vinegar medicines for thousands of years. The group experimented with making their own fire cider – a non-alcoholic herbal remedy – from seasonal Farm ingredients. Susy took the group around the Farm and dug up horseradish, harvested sage, thyme, rosemary and nettles and a few onions, garlic bulbs and chilli peppers. These ingredients have antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties and are rich in immune-supporting vitamins and minerals to promote health over the cold winter months.
In February 2025, the winter theme continued with a fermentation community workshop. Fermentation is an ancient technique of preserving food, used to produce foods like wine, cheese, yogurt, and kombucha. Fermented foods are rich in beneficial probiotics and have been associated with a range of health benefits – from better digestion to stronger immunity. The group made sauerkraut – fermented cabbage – a tasty, nutrient rich and long-lasting accompaniment to spice up all sorts of winter meals.
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In March 2025, Susy collaborated with Trees for Cities to arrange for six of our community groups to plant trees in Stepney Green Park, contributing to the improvement of our wider local area. The groups planted 16 Gingko, Crab apple and Cherry trees – species selected for their ecological benefit, resilience in difficult environments (given the poor-quality local soil and historic rubble of WWII), future shade provision and visual interest, as well as to create more wildlife habitat and sequester carbon.
The role of Communities Programme Manager was generously funded across 2024-25 by the Nineveh Trust; the Canary Wharf Group; and L&Q.
Apart from the community growing beds, the Farm also has 64 allotment plots which provide vital outdoor food growing space for local people who have no gardens of their own. 60% of allotment holders are of Bangladeshi origin, many of whom are first generation elders and from farming backgrounds where food growing is part of daily life; the plots are extremely well used and very oversubscribed and are one of the ways that the Farm can support long term engagement with hyper-local members of our community. Some plot holders have been here since before the establishment of the current charity in 2010, and the longest-standing ones have had plots here since in the 1980’s when the site was Stepping Stones Farm.
Susy was also able to work with our Sylheti-speaking Food Growers across the year to organise Sylhetilanguage versions of some of our most popular workshops for our Bangladeshi community groups and our allotments holders, including workshops on composting and permaculture principles.
The recruitment and retention of our Sylheti-speaking Food Growers has been an important part of the holistic development of our communities offer. Their work has also included liaison with allotment holders who speak little or no English, as well as helping with Sylheti-language focus groups and consultations.
Feedback from members of the community during the evaluation process after the original grant for these posts ended indicated that people felt much more supported by having Sylheti-speaking staff on site, and that they felt anxious about them leaving:
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“It was very good that you (Tahmina and Sajia) were here, and you’ve seen how we liked it. There were so many times we didn’t understand things so we asked you and you explained.”
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“I can communicate a little bit but it’s great to have somebody Bengali, and if they're not there then we have to continue struggling. When you weren’t there I used small words and managed. If you’re there it's better.”
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“Yes a lot of benefits since you came, it's been so good having you, a lot of help and we liked it. Please can you stay? We need you.”
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“Oh if you’re not going to be working then it's going to be difficult, who am I going to find to ask questions? Don’t go please.”
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“Since you and Sajia started to work we were able to speak to you directly because we can’t speak English and we can't speak to anybody on the Farm. That was very beneficial for us.”
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“No, it's definitely going to be difficult [without you]. There are people that are older than me, who can’t speak English. When we found you we were really happy, I was very happy.”
We are delighted that the new National Lottery Community Fund grant which we have secured from September 2025 will now allow Sajia and Tahmina to continue to work at the Farm 2.5 days a week each for the next five years, and will also provide for the expansion of the role of Communities Programme Manager from three to four days per week. All will be key to continuing to build on our connections with the local community, and over the first year, Susy will use her additional capacity to carry out consultations with our communities and visitors, co-designing new activities and projects to best serve them.
As a legacy of the original Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) grant which allowed us to establish the Sylheti-speaking Food Grower posts in 2023, the Farm will also continue to be part of the “Just FACT” partnership programme. This is a network made up of people and organisations in Tower Hamlets delivering food and sustainability projects. The programme includes The Blueprint Architects - a wider
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network of community leaders, organisations, activists and residents who are engaged in the food system of Tower Hamlets. The group is coordinated by Platform London, who lead on research and project learning, and have been a great support to the Farm in our evaluation and evidence gathering.
Going forward into 2025-26, we will continue to utilise and further build upon the well-established relationships and community networks that the Farm has developed over many years. Our range of partnerships with local service providers puts us in a strong position to connect with some of the most underserved groups in the local community, and to continue to tailor programming to support local needs.
Café
2024-25 was a year of change for the Farm Café. In November, we were sad to announce that Lucy and Betty Cuthbert, sisters-in-law who had run the space as The Allotment Kitchen since 2020, would be moving on to leave London and focus on family and future projects.
Lucy and Betty had built the Café up into a successful business and a popular local amenity since taking it over just as the UK was being plunged into the first Covid19 pandemic lockdown, and we were sad to see them go. But the reputation they had built for the space presented an appealing opportunity for new tenants, and a wide range of candidates applied to our tender process which sought a partner passionate about good food who would align with the Farm’s environmental and community values.
As the Café represents a key element in our Farm to Fork cycle, the successful bid from Natasha Sayliss and Florence Creffield was scrutinised by a panel of staff, Trustees, and external experts through a rigorous process. Natasha has owned popular cafe Mae + Harvey on Roman Road for 8 years, while Florence is an experienced chef from Bonnington community cafe. They are friends who have gone into business together for the first time on this new venture, and Natasha’s experience and reputation combined with Florence’s passion for community engagement and food education made their new partnership the ideal choice.
The new café will open as Stepney’s in May 2025 after extensive investment by Florence and Natasha in renovation of the dining area and kitchen, and the essential upgrade of building infrastructure by the Farm to meet current regulations. The Farm team are excited for the year ahead working with Stepney’s.
Onsite Studios
The Farm features three Rural Arts Studios. These are rented at affordable rates to support the unrestricted income of the Farm and to provide rural arts experiences for the public. It’s vital that the tenants are carefully selected for their ethos and organisational fit, and a full tender and interview process is carried out when a studio becomes available. The current tenants have all now been with us for between 8-13 years and are:
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Jess Jos (potter);
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Tim Sanderson (greenwood worker); and
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Georgie Mason (painter).
All rural artists offer paid classes as well as programmes for disadvantaged individuals and have partnered with the Farm over the years to give opportunities to our beneficiaries and to take part in our festivals and events. In 2024-25, we expanded these partnerships with a grant from the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust to pay for more regular rural arts workshops for our Greencare and community groups.
On 1[st] January 2025, all studio tenants renewed their leases with the Farm for a further two years.
Site Management, Access and Visitor Experience
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The Farm is and will always be open and free for visitors to walk in six days a week. The site is an inclusive space with nature, food and animals being catalysts for learning, leisure opportunities, to bring communities together, and to support mental wellbeing in the urban heart of Tower Hamlets.
Free entry is one of the Farm’s founding principles, and in the years since the Covid19 pandemic, we have seen ever-increasing visitor numbers driven by the cost-of-living crisis. Remedial and preventative site maintenance remain a priority to ensure the comfort and security of the public and our diverse programme beneficiaries.
With the cost of organisational overheads also rising year-on-year, we are thankful that interest in the Farm’s corporate volunteering programme remained high across 2024-25.
Groups from companies often based in the City or Canary Wharf can book in for facilitated corporate volunteering sessions for up to 40 people. This is an increasingly popular alternative to other types of office away-day, benefitting employee mental health and wellbeing and helping to meet corporate social responsibility targets. These sessions allow us to keep on top of essential animal care and gardening tasks, as well as site maintenance and improvement projects which would otherwise not be practically or financially viable. In 2024-25, 3,007 corporate volunteers attended across 166 sessions and made associated financial donations to the Farm. In recent years, this has also become our largest income stream, allowing us to cover essential overhead costs which would otherwise be difficult to fundraise for.
Thanks largely to corporate income, in July we were able to fund the complete replacement of broken and deteriorating field fencing around the pig enclosure, the new sheep field, and a row of three fields on the south side of the site which rotate the goats, donkeys and rams. This much-needed investment will guarantee the integrity of the enclosures for at least a decade to come.
In August 2024, corporate group Deckers made a significant contribution to the Farm by buying and building a new pergola to provide additional covered seating behind the café and by booking team workshops across the day with all our studio tenants. The day was such a success that they repeated it in March 2025, donating £20,000 to cover the cost of buying and building new storage containers, a second pergola, and to make donations toward the costs of our Communities Programme and essential renovations to the café. The new pergolas and an expanded decking area have increased the capacity for café customers, helping to develop prospects for the new café business.
Due to the change-over of tenants and the required renovations, unfortunately the café remained closed for six months in total from the beginning of November 2024 to the beginning of May 2025. As an onsite food offer is an important part of our visitor experience, we have tried to mitigate the impact of this to some extent by having local café Cabin running weekend pop-ups on site and catering for group lunches and events, and by having popular mobile coffee stall Kinda Grind at the Saturday Farmer’s Market.
We are excited for the new café tenants to become embedded in the Farm. We have worked over many years to support our local communities with bespoke programming, and to identify and remove barriers to different communities engaging with the Farm, with the 53.3% of our immediate local community (Limehouse North & Stepney East) who are of Bangladeshi heritage being a particular priority. An important part of the new café tender brief is to be inclusive of halal lifestyle requirements, to accommodate the more prevalent use of cash in the community, and to provide culturally appealing menu options. We hope that Stepney’s will have wide appeal across our communities and look forward to seeing the business develop.
In 2024-25 Saturday continued to be our busiest day of the week for general visitors. Our two Saturday front of house positions remained financially sustainable, and across the year our Saturday produce stall went from strength to strength, as the growing team worked to optimise yield and diversify our range of Bangladeshi produce. Our Saturday Farmer’s Market managed by CCFM maintained an average of 8 stalls a week, providing the opportunity for our urban community to buy directly from farmers and independent producers on their doorstep.
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During the week, visitors can help themselves in our ‘self-service’ honesty shop, where produce, animal food, eggs and compost are available to buy.
Across 2024-25 we made progress with a new signage strategy for the site. A large map of the full Farm was designed by artists Tomartacus, who have produced cards and prints for us for several years (and this year also added four winter Farm designs to our card range in time for Christmas). The map has been printed and mounted at the front entrance. A pollinator trail, consisting of six individual educational signs about bees and pollinators was also designed and produced by Schools Programme Manager Rosie using part of the beehive grant from CMS, and has been installed around the site. Further educational signage sets have been drafted including for animals, growing, and site history, and we hope to have these completed and installed over the next year.
Our Saturday Open Volunteering sessions, implemented in 2021 with a grant from Ocean Regeneration Trust (ORT), ran until September 2024. These events allowed us to meet the popular demand for individuals to learn more about the Farm as one-off drop in volunteers and helped us to stay on top of the waiting list for volunteering opportunities - as participants can decide after these taster sessions whether they would like to make a more long-term commitment to one of our regular programmes. Unfortunately, due to unprecedented demand on trusts and foundations, we were not successful in securing ORT funding for a fourth year of sessions but hope to find funds to reinstate the Open Volunteering sessions in the future.
In recent years the high cost of energy has remained on the site management agenda. In 2024-25, the Farm reaped the first full-year benefit of a range of energy efficiency improvements made between 2022 and 2023. Over 30% of the electricity used on site was generated by our solar panels, significantly reducing costs, and a small surplus was sold back to the National Grid. The new heat pumps installed by the council in November 2023 and the double-glazed doors fitted to the café and office also helped to reduce the cost of heating the buildings in winter and significantly contributed to the quality of the working environment for staff with air con settings for the summer.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers who have both provided funding to support the core overhead costs of running the Farm in 2024-25.
Hires and public events
Our annual programme of public events kicked off as usual with our sheep shearing event on 23 May, which was very well attended by visitors and volunteers. Farmer Tom Davis from Mudchute Farm carried out shearing demonstrations accompanied by educational talks and this year, our fleeces were collected by the London City Farm Yarn project. This is an ambitious idea to create yarn on a commercial scale from the native and rare breed sheep kept across London’s farms, and soon we expect to have back a sample number of skeins and knitted or woven products to sell on the Farm.
Across the year, local Bengali women’s group Ocean Women’s Association continued to run weekly coffee mornings at the Farm, having been awarded 5-year funding from the National Lottery. On 19 June, they also teamed up with the Farm and other groups involved in our Communities Programme to deliver our annual Eid event. This was our biggest Eid celebration to date, with over 100 attendees from different community groups, music, stalls, food from the Allotment Kitchen, and a bubble entertainer.
In August, the Stepney Wombles celebrated the second anniversary of their monthly litter picking events based at the Farm. The events, initiated with the support of local councillors and public realm officials and with equipment donated by CleanupUK, continue to go from strength to strength, with up to 30 drop-in volunteers per sessions and over a tonne of litter collected on average each year since 2022.
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In Autumn, we were pleased to host the Orchard Project for two days of their seven-day Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO), a unique course with hands-on learning with orchard experts at a range of projects in North and East London. Lead Food Grower Danielle gave the learners a tour of the growing areas and the native fruit trees on site.
City & Country Farmers Markets (CCFM) ran our biggest event of the year, the annual Christmas Market, on 7 December. Unfortunately, this coincided with Storm Darragh, and as the stall holders and canopies were planned to be outdoors, we came very close to having to cancel the event. Thankfully, our lovely neighbours at St Dunstan’s & All Saints church stepped in and saved the day by allowing the stalls to be set up inside their beautiful 15[th] century building. With London City Brass joining us for a fourth year running to play festive tunes, this made for a very atmospheric and cosy event, which stall holders and visitors alike were delighted by. Over at the Farm, we were still able to host our open craft studios, children’s craft activities in the Classroom, street food vans, and a wonderful fashion-food fusion pop-up in the café space, organised by previous Allotment Kitchen front of house host Roshan Whittaker.
The following week, the Salvation Army had better luck with the weather for their annual nativity play on the Farm, attended by around 80 people.
Across the year, we continued to partner with City & Country Farmers Markets (CCFM) to manage our Saturday Farmers Market on the Farm, bringing in high quality independent producers from outside London for the local community. Popular weekly ‘Frog Prince Baby Music’ sessions and ‘Rhythm Tree Baby Music’ sessions were delivered on a venue hire basis on Tuesdays and Fridays. These sessions are a good driver of traffic to the Farm cafe during the week and provide a welcoming community for stay-at-home parents of young babies and toddlers.
On weekends, our Classroom and Garden Deck continued to be available for hire, with the most popular type of booking being children’s parties. 52 families choose to celebrate their child’s birthday at the Farm in 2024-25.
The Farm also hosted occasional television and photo shoots. All hire fees contributed to the core costs of running the charity.
In March, we began planning for our first big May Day celebration since before the pandemic. Communities Programme Manager Susy has secured funding from the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust to include some public workshops and bring in folk-hip-hop fusion performers Folkdance Remixed to run maypole dancing sessions. CCFM have booked in 35 market stalls, and Stepney’s cafe will be celebrating their grand opening.
Thank you to everyone who came together to make 2024-25 a fantastic year at the Farm. We’re looking forward to some exciting times ahead.
Reviews across 2024-25
“Unchangeably the best city farm in London!” - Aleksandra - Ola Piękniewska
“Such a lovely community orientated and well run space, so relaxing and welcoming! Cafe had nice food and drinks at an affordable price. A must see and do for all ages in the area!” - Dom C
“A wonderful gem in the area. The farm is a haven where people and nature come together, from their sustainable farming and livestock rearing (feed available!), to their community kitchen. A must-visit.” – Andrew Hall
“Lovely friendly staff. We had a workshop and the children really enjoyed it. It’s very child friendly and a really comfortable site to navigate.” - Stephanie Clarke
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“Super lovely farm in the heart of the east end. lambs, donkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs plus a cool Saturday micro farmer's market.” - Susan Calam
“Very friendly & informative staff, great place if U r an animal, nature lover. Lots of local/ fresh produce” - Pum White
“Such a gem for anyone living in the area” - Orhan Sozen
“What a nice farm! Lot of animal, vegetables garden, little ponds. Suitable for all age of people for gathering together and enjoy, no need any ticket” - Jahangir Alam
“Lovely city farm!! It’s so so big!!! I didn’t realise how big this was! So many plants growing everywhere, very well looked after!! There are allotments, cafes, workshops, farmers market on Saturdays, plants for sale! There are bike parking available as well x” - Sara Roudbari
“Amazing donks, ten stars” - BPM
“Fine beasts to view! Pots of recommended food for kids to feed them... Heart-warming veg beds being grown by locals... No picking!...And a great farmers market on Saturday mornings. High point: the Iranian woman's stall of tasty stuff from her own land. Olives in many varieties, cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, and my first ever pickled garlic. Yum” - Anne Hawes
“One of my fave place in London” - Xin Zhao
“We are so happy we found this hidden gem! The place is incredibly welcoming, and the people are so friendly. They offer a wide range of activities including a farm, café, markets, workshops, and venue hire. We celebrated our daughter's 2nd birthday party here, and Thuy made our special day even more memorable by helping us throughout the day and arranging an amazing farm tour for the kids. Highly recommend this place for any event or just a day out!” - Severina O
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Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document
Stepney City Farm was incorporated on 23 March 2009 as a Company Limited by Guarantee without a Share Capital. The Company was then registered as a charity on 10 June 2010. The Company was established under a Memorandum of Association that defined its objects and powers. It is governed by its Articles of Association, the current version of which was adopted on 20 May 2020.
Directors
The Directors who held office during the year, unless otherwise indicated, are set out on page 3. As the Company is limited by guarantee and has no issued share capital, none of the Directors hold any beneficial interest in the charitable Company.
Recruitment and Appointment of Directors
Directors are usually recruited from residents or persons working within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. They are expected to take a specific interest in an area of the Farm's activities and/ or to have relevant professional expertise.
In accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company, a third of the Directors, those who are the longest serving, are required to retire from office at every third Annual General Meeting (AGM) but, if eligible, may offer themselves for re-election.
Induction and Training of Directors
The charity has produced an induction pack for all new Directors, which will include the latest annual report and accounts, a summary of current policies, the memorandum and articles, operational plans and financial forecasts. They are given opportunities to meet other Directors and senior staff to provide insight into the management and operations of the charity. Training is mainly provided through briefing sessions at Board meetings as issues arise; for example, over updated legal and regulatory requirements. There are also opportunities offered for further training from external providers over the year.
Organisational Structure
The Directors operate through a Board comprising themselves and, with no voting rights, the Farm Director and external advisers. The Board is responsible for the overall governance of the charity and guiding its strategic direction. It meets every other month.
The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for Farm operations and delivering organisational strategy, and has the power to delegate spending authority to individual budget holders on the staff faculty, who report to the Chief Executive monthly. Induction processes are in place for all Farm workers including staff, volunteers in all volunteer streams and work experience students. There is a permanently contracted member of staff for every day of the week responsible for overseeing animal care, site operations, health and safety (morning and evening site check, first aid, hygiene) and security on their given day(s).
Risk Review
The Board has reviewed the principal areas of the organisation's operations and considered the major risks that may arise in each of these areas. In the opinion of the Directors, the charity has established resources and reviews that, under normal conditions, should allow the risks identified by them to be mitigated to an acceptable level in its day-to-day operations.
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Financial Review
Results for the year
The results of the year and financial position of the Company are shown in the accompanying Financial Statements.
The Statement of Financial Activities shows a net deficit for the year of £69,405 (net deficit of £18,331 in 2023/24). This deficit is due to the utilisation of restricted funds carried forward from the previous year for their intended purposes, and the utilisation of high unrestricted reserves for essential site improvements.
Total unrestricted incoming resources were £326,176 (£330,175 in 2023/24) and total restricted incoming resources were £68,756 (£97,004 in 2023-24). This was raised from a combination of income from charitable activities, rent, corporate volunteering days, donations and grant funding. Total resources expended from unrestricted funds were £352,719 (£283,607 in 2023/24) and total resources expended from restricted funds were £100,699 (£125,187 in 2023/24). Total resources expended from designated funds were £10,920 (£36,717 in 2023-24).
Donations in Kind
The Farm has received some donations of goods and services: most notably in 2024/25, several tonnes of woodchip and logs from various arborists; 16 metal lockers, two new picnic tables, and 22 gingham table clothes donated via Event Cycle; and six benches donated by Tower Hamlets Council.
The donations in kind have not been valued in the accounts because the charity wouldn't have bought them if they hadn't been donated.
Grants and Donations
Thank you to the trusts and foundations which have supported Stepney City Farm in 2024-25:
| A+E Educational Foundation | John Lewis Golden Jubilee fund |
|---|---|
| Allen and Overy | L&Q |
| Atkin Charitable Foundation | Latimer by Clarion |
| Canary Wharf Group | Nineveh Trust |
| CMS | Ocean Regeneration Trust |
| D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust | Ratcliff Educational Foundation |
| Ernest Cook Trust | St Dunstan & All Saints |
| Fan Makers’ Company | Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks |
| Kew Gardens Grow Wild fund | Women’s Environmental Network |
| Jack Petchey Foundation |
Thank you to the companies who supported the Farm through our Corporate Volunteering programme:
| Accenture | BlackRock |
|---|---|
| Allianz Trade | Canary Wharf Group |
| Ambiente Group UK | CFC Underwriting |
| Argon & Co | Citi |
| ASL | City of London Corporation |
| Barclays | Close Brothers |
| Baringa | CMS |
| Beazley | Compare the Market |
| Belmont Green | Compass Lexecon |
Page 22
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Cooley (UK) LLP Menzies CyberCube Mimecast Deckers Moonpig Department for Business & Trade Morningstar Digital Theatre Ninety One UK Limited Enro Holdings Limited Nomura Ernst & Young LLP OMERS Private Equity Europe Limited Exact Sciences UK, Ltd Onduline Fitch Ratings Overbury plc Fleet Street PitchBook Forvis Mazars Plan A Consultants Get Living Plural Strategy Guy Carpenter Recharge HiBob Red Pill Production Limited Hiscox Royal Bank of Canada Howden Royal London Asset Management HSBC RSM UK Icertis Savills Iconic London Sky Interpath Advisory Societe Generale ISG Ltd Sompo Janus Henderson Investors Standard Chartered JP Morgan Starling Bank La Prairie Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Latimer by Clarion T. Rowe Price LexisNexis Risk Solutions TD Securities Liberty TPXImpact Linklaters Twilio Segment Lloyds Banking Group Tyler Grange London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine UBS Man Group UTA Mapletree Wellcome Trust Markel Winnow Solutions Limited Maxis Workiva
There were also many anonymous donations from individual visitors for which we are extremely grateful. Thank you to everyone who dropped a pound in the donations box; used the contactless donation machines; or contributed by text or online via Paypal, Easy Fundraising, Just Giving or My Donate; attended yoga sessions; held a children’s party or venue hire at the Farm; or bought Farm produce.
All at Stepney City Farm are very grateful for all donations and grants received and we thank our funders for their support.
Investments
The Farm does not currently hold any investments.
Page 23
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Reserves and Funds
Free reserves are the balance of resources under the Company’s Funds to spend at the Chief Executive’s discretion, with the oversight of the Board of Trustees, in furtherance of the Company's charitable objects, once the stated value of fixed assets and any other amounts already committed have been deducted. The free reserves at 31 March 2025 were £144,786 (£190,534 at 31 March 2024).
The general reserve (cash) has decreased from £174,823 to 133,222. Funds have been deployed strategically and in line with the organisational reserves policy.
A review of the adequacy of these reserves is made annually, normally at budget approval, and at any other times the Directors consider prudent.
Financial sustainability
The Directors consider the organisation to be sustainable for the following reasons:
All staff roles for 2025-26 either have funding in place, or can be reasonably expected to be fully funded via other income streams or funding applications;
The policy of including a contribution to overheads in each funding application has ensured that essential utilities and other premises costs are covered.
Plans for Future Periods
Our vision for the future is refined across three key areas:
-
The Farm as a beacon of rural and environmental education in Tower Hamlets, with a particular focus on food systems and encouraging sustainable living practices.
-
The Farm as the heart of our diverse local community; an inclusive space offering ‘something for everyone’, connecting people through farming.
-
The Farm as a centre of support for healthy living in Tower Hamlets; including the promotion of healthy eating, good physical health, and good mental health.
In 2025-26, a major new 5-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund will be deployed in furtherance of these objectives.
This funding will secure key staffing roles including our full time Lead Food Grower and full time Farmyard Manger and allow for the expansion of the role of Communities Programme Manager to four days per week. It will also cover the reinstatement our Sylheti-speaking Food Growers from 0.4 FTE to 1 FTE, following the end of previous funding for these roles.
Having these core costs funded for 5 years will realise an ambition to re centre our community and engagement activities at the heart of the Farm’s programming, after a period of growing organisational reliance on paid activity delivery to cover overheads including staffing and maintenance.
Across the five-year period, we will use our increased organisational capacity to:
-
Strategically map our reach in the local community, identifying and bridging any gaps in delivery.
-
Consolidate some of our more informal connections into working relationships with measurable outcomes.
-
Develop new income streams for the future to ensure that our increased capacity remains sustainable.
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
-
Strategically target fundraising for further multiyear grants to support our Schools and Youth programming.
-
Implement a regular programme of public activities and workshops developed through community consultation, including Sylheti language events;
-
Continue to develop and expand our range of Bangladeshi produce and skills sharing in traditional growing methods;
-
Seek funding to reinstate our Saturday book-in volunteering taster sessions;
-
Implement an educational public signage strategy across the site;
-
Explore costings, designs, and capital funding opportunities for a large glasshouse;
-
Work with our new Cafe team to co-produce programming, particularly educational cooking activities, holiday hunger initiatives, and foraging workshops.
Statement of Directors' Responsibilities
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Directors to prepare Financial Statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors have elected to prepare the Financial Statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). The Financial Statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for that year. In preparing those Financial Statements the Directors are required to:
-
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
-
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
-
State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the Financial Statements.
-
Prepare the Financial Statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue to operate.
The Directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and to enable them to ensure that the Financial Statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Page 25
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Audit Exemption The Directors have decided to take advantage of the audit exemption provisions of the Companies Act The Directors have decided to take advantage of the audit exemption provisions of the Companies Act 2006. Under the provisions of section 145 of the Charities Act 2011, Catherine Sullivan has been appointed 2006. Under the provisions of section 145 of the Charities Act 2011, Catherine Sullivan has been appointed as Independent Examiner. Her report is shown on page 27
as Independent Examiner. Her report is shown on page 27
This Report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial and Reporting by Charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (the FRS102) (effective 1 January 2015), and in accordance with the Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (the FRS102) (effective 1 January 2015), and in accordance with the special provisions of section 415A of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
special provisions of section 415A of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Approved by the Directors on the following date and signed on their behalf by:
Approved by the Directors on the following date and signed on their behalf by:
………………………………………………………………………. Date:………………………………….. Alice Thornton, Chair
Alice Thornton, Chair
Page 26
STEPNEY STEPNEY CITY FARM CITY FARM COMPANY COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Independent examiner's report on the accounts Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Report Report to the trustees of Stepney City Farm (Charity number: 1136448), on accounts for the year ended to the trustees of Stepney City Farm (Charity number: 1136448), on accounts for the year ended 31 31 March 2025. March 2025.
Responsibilities Responsibilities and basis of report and basis of report
| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended ended 31 March 2025, as set out on pages 31 March 2025, as set out on pages 28-36 28-36
As As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
| I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity in carrying out my examination, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent Independent examiner's statement examiner's statement
The The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and | am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
| I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- e the the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or • « the the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or • * the the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an an independent examination. independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to | have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts accounts to be reached. to be reached.
Signed: Date: signed: CAVA Date: 20th November 2025
Catherine Catherine Sullivan FCA, DipCHa Sullivan FCA, DipCHa
Beresford Marney Limited, 5 Marneys Close, Epsom, Kt18 7HR Beresford Marney Limited, 5 Marneys Close, Epsom, Kt18 7HR
Page 27
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Statement of Financial Activities
For the year ended 31 March 2025
| Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 March 2025 |
Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 March 2025 |
|---|---|
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Designated Funds Total Funds Total Funds Note 2025 2024 INCOMING RESOURCES £ £ £ Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary Income 2 171,906 68,756 0 240,662 238,292 Investment Income – bank interest 1,745 0 0 1,745 1,969 Total Incoming Resources from generated funds 173,651 68,756 0 242,407 240,261 Incoming resources from charitable activities 3 152,525 0 152,525 186,919 Total Incoming Resources 326,176 68,756 0 394,932 427,180 RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activities: 4 (340,589) (100,699) (10,920) (452,208) (434,082) Fundraising Costs 5 (12,130) 0 0 (12,130) (11,429) Total resources expended (352,719) (100,699) (10,920) (464,338) (445,511) NET INCOME FOR THE YEAR (26,542) (31,943) (10,920) (69,405) (18,331) Transfer Funds (15,059) 8,286 6,773 0 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 174,823 52,898 15,711 243,432 261,764 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 133,222 29,240 11,564 174,026 243,432 |
|
| 326,176 68,756 0 394,932 427,180 (340,589) (100,699) (10,920) (452,208) (434,082) (12,130) 0 0 (12,130) (11,429) (352,719) (100,699) (10,920) (464,338) (445,511) (26,542) (31,943) (10,920) (69,405) (18,331) (15,059) 8,286 6,773 0 174,823 52,898 15,711 243,432 261,764 |
|
| Total Incoming Resources | |
| RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activities: 4 Fundraising Costs 5 |
|
Total resources expended |
|
| NET INCOME FOR THE YEAR Transfer Funds RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
|
| 133,222 29,240 11,564 174,026 243,432 |
The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared. All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities.
Page 28
STEPNEY CITY FARM STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
| Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025 Balance Sheet asat 31 March 2025 FIXEDASSETS |
Note Note |
2025 2025 £ |
2025 2025 £ |
Total Funds 2024 Total Funds 2024 £ |
Total Funds 2024 Total Funds 2024 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets Tangible assets CURRENT ASSETS |
9 9 |
£ | £ 11,564 11,564 |
£ 15,119 15,119 |
|
| CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Debtors Cash at bank and inhand |
10 10 |
8,208 176,244 184,452 8,208 176,244 ~~184,452~~ |
17,859 227,383 245,242 17,859 227,383 ~~245,242~~ |
||
| CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year CREDITORS: Amountsfallingdue within one year |
11 11 |
(21,994) (21,994) |
(16,930) (16,930) |
||
| NET CURRENT ASSETS NETCURRENTASSETS |
162,458 162,458 |
228,312 228,312 |
|||
| NET ASSETS ~~NET ASSETS~~ |
13 ~~13~~ |
174,022 ~~174,022~~ |
243,432 ~~243,432~~ |
||
| RESERVES RESERVES Unrestricted funds: |
12 12 General reserve |
133,222 | 174,823 | ||
| Unrestricted funds: | General reserve Designated Fund Depn Designated Fund Depn Designated Sit~~e Fund~~ |
133,222 11,564 ~~11,564~~ 0 |
174,823 15,119 15,119 §92 |
||
| Designated Site Fund 0 592 144,786 190,534 190,534 Restricted Funds 29,240 52,898 TOTAL FUNDS 174,026 243,432 ~~144,786~~ 190,534 ~~190,534~~ ~~Restricted Funds~~ 29,24~~0~~ ~~52,898~~ ~~TOTAL FUNDS~~ ~~174,026~~ ~~243,432~~ ~~isd~~ |
The Directors are satisfied that the Company is entitled to exemption from the provsions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the audit of the The Directors are satisfied that the Company is entitled to exemption from the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the audit of the accounts for the year by virtue of section 477, and that no member or members have requested an audit pursuant to section 476 of the accounts for the year by virtue of section 477, and that no member or members have requested an audit pursuant to section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. However, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 the accounts have been examined by an independent Companies Act 2006. However, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 the accounts have been examined by an independent examiner whose report appears on page 21 examiner whose report appears on page 21. The Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for The Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for: (i) ensuring that the Company keeps proper accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006, and (i) ensuring that the Company keeps proper accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006, and (i) preparing accounts which give a true and fair vew of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or (ii) preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of section 396, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the deficit for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of section 396, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the Company accounts, so far as applicable to the Company. These Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies These Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Act 2006. Approved by the Directors on the following date and signed on their behalfby Approved by the Directors on the following date and signed on their behalf by:
----- Start of picture text -----
Brectsad hccbinsieeniessiccteies, DALES | Moesbe 2
…………………………………………….. Date: ……………………………………….
Edward Gaze, Treasurer
Edward Gaze, Treasurer
----- End of picture text -----
Page 29
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
1 Accounting Policies
1.1 THE BASIS OF ACCOUNTING
The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value, unless otherwise stated in the notes to these accounts.
These Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of recommended practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of lreland (FRS102) and the Charites Act 2011.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the Charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
1.2 RECOGNITION OF INCOME
All income is recognised on receipt of income. Donations and grants are recognised on settlement date. ln the event that a donation or grant is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the charity is entitled to drawn down on the grant, then that part of the funds will not be recognised until those conditions are fully met
There is no interest on funds, as no funds are currently held on deposit
1.3 EXPENDITURE
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis. All expenses including support costs and governance costs are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings. Cost in respect of future activities are charged when the relevant activity takes place. Governance costs compare all cost involving the public accountability of the charity and its compliance with regulations and good practice.
1.4 FIXED ASSETS
Only assets with a purchase of at least £500 are capitalised. There are no assets of that value in the charity.
1.5 TAXATION
No tax provision is include in the financial statements as it's a registered charity and entitled to exception from tax under Section 505 of the income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.
1.6 FUND ACCOUNTING
The charity has restricted funds, where the donor has specified that the monies can only be used on specific projects in future. All other funds are unrestricted.
1.7 PENSION COSTS
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company. The annual contributions payable are charged to the statement of financial activities.
1.8 GOING CONCERN
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
1.9 CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND JUDGEMENTS
ln the application of the Charity’s accounting policies the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Page 32
STEPNEY CITY FARM
COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
3. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES – OPERATION OF FARM
| Total Funds | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | 2024 | ||
| £ | |||||
| Animal activities | 2197 | 2,197 | 1,186 | ||
| Corporate Volunteering | 66,971 | 66,971 | 81,238 | ||
| Courses and Workshops | 0 | - | 0 | 4,440 | |
| Misc | 1,485 | 1,485 | 13,961 | ||
| Hire of space | 63,958 | 63,958 | 68,473 | ||
| Sale of Farm Produce | 17,915 | 17,915 | 17,621 | ||
| 4. RESOURCES EXPENDED – CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES | 152,525 | 0 | 152,525 | 186,919 | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Designated | Total Funds Total Funds | ||
| 2025 2024 |
|||||
| £ | £ | £ £ |
|||
| Animals | 22,101 | 22,101 21,621 |
|||
| Corporate | 50,112 | 50,112 36,048 |
|||
| Gardening | 50,425 | 50,425 44,688 |
|||
| Governance | 750 | 750 800 |
|||
| Depreciation | 0 | 10,920 | 10,920 13,209 |
||
| Fundraising | 12,130 | 0 | 0 | 12,130 11,429 |
|
| Main | 217,200 | 50,899 | - | 268,099 261,778 |
|
| Farm education | 0 | 49,800 | 49,800 55,938 |
||
| 352,719 | 100,699 | 10,920 | 464,338 445,511 |
||
| 5. RESOURCES EXPENDED – FUNDRAISING COSTS | 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Cost of employee time + Fundraise costs | £ | 12,130 | £ 11,429 |
||
| 12,130 | 11,429 | ||||
| 6. NET INCOMING RESOURCES | |||||
| Net resources are stated after charging: | 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Depreciation and disposal | 10,920 | £ 13,209 |
|||
| Independent Examiner Fees | 750 | 800 | |||
| 11,670 | 14,009 |
Page 33
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
7. DIRECTORS' REMUNERATION AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
None of the Directors received any remuneration, other benefits or expenses for this or the previous year.in any contract or transaction entered into by the Company during this or the previous year. No other person related to the Company had any personal interest
8. STAFF COSTS
| 8. STAFF COSTS | |
|---|---|
| Wages and Salaries Social Security Costs Employer Pension Costs Sub-contractor Fees |
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds 2025 2024 £ £ £ £ 192,569 87,944 280,513 267,292 11,108 4,780 15,889 14,596 4,233 1,593 5,826 5,510 |
| 207,910 94,317 302,227 287,398 8,867 1,057 9,923 3,887 |
|
| 216,777 95,374 312,151 291,286 |
No employees earned over £60,000 per annum (2024: nil)
Total employee benefits paid to key management were £114,800 (2024 - £111,704)
The total number of staff employed during the year was as follows:
| The total number of staff employed during the year was as follows: | |
|---|---|
Directly engaged in activities Support and management Total |
2025 2024 14 14 2 2 |
| 16 16 |
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
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STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Page 36
STEPNEY CITY FARM COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 06855753 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
13. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
| 13. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangible | Net | ||
| Fixed Assets | Current Assets | Totals | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Restricted Funds | 0 | 29,240 | 29,240 |
| Unrestricted Funds | 0 | ||
| Designated Fund – Tangible Assets | 11,564 | 0 | 11,564 |
| Designated Fund – Site Fund | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| General Reserve | 0 | 133,222 | 133,222 |
| 11,564 | 133,222 | 144,786 | |
| Total Funds | 11,564 | 162,462 | 174,026 |
14 Comparatives for the Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 March 2024
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | Unrestricted Restricted Funds Designated Funds | Unrestricted Restricted Funds Designated Funds | Unrestricted Restricted Funds Designated Funds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary Income | 145,617 | 92,674 | 238,291 | |
| Charitable activities: | ||||
| Farming/Educational Activities | 182,589 | 4,330 | 0 | 186,919 |
| Investment Income: | 1,969 | 0 | 0 | 1,969 |
| TOTAL | 330,175 | 97,004 | 0 | 427,180 |
| EXPENDITURE ON | ||||
| Farming/Educational Activities | (272,178) | (125,187) | (36,717) | (434,082) |
| Fundraising Costs | (11,429) | 0 | (11,429) | |
| NET INCOME FOR THE YEAR | 46,568 | (28,182) | (36,717) | (18,331) |
| Transfer between funds | (23,006) | (87) | 23,093 | 0 |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | ||||
| Total funds brought forward | 151,261 | 81,169 | 29,335 | 261,764 |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 174,823 | 52,898 | 15,711 | 243,432 |
| 15 Allocation of support costs on Charitable Activities 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costs | Salaries | Direct | Support Governance | Support Governance | Total |
| Staff Grants | 49,367 | 1,532 | 44,643 | 258 | 95,800 |
| Farm education | 46,007 | 3,793 | 41,605 | 240 | 91,646 |
| Gardening | 47,963 | 2,462 | 43,374 | 250 | 94,049 |
| Totals | 143,767 | 7,787 | 130,012 | 750 | 282,316 |
Support costs have been allocated on the basis of direct labour costs paid per activity Some staff costs are shown as part of the support figure. The total amount of staff expenditure is shown in note 8
Page 37