An Urban Oasis
LONDON, UK – Wedged between busy streets, the Stepney City Farm is a shelter from noise, filled with wildlife and wilderness. As I sit here now, I write with a newfound ease that has overcome me since I walked through the gates. In the distance, I see the skyscrapers towering above the city. But for now, I can pretend I am far away from the concrete jungle.
I stroll around the farm, which anyone can enter. I see workers in every corner. Perhaps even a group of volunteers getting ready to be tasked with a great mission. Grandmas and mothers push their strollers over the mulch that paves the farm’s “streets,” and laughter erupts from the children watching the goats and chickens.
I cannot say that I came here with exceedingly high expectations. To be fair, it is a brisk Tuesday morning in October. But my expectations were blown out of the water when I was greeted by dozens of workers, visitors, flora, and fauna. This farm is certainly a working one.
But an underlying theme runs through this farm, its purpose is to improve the well-being of those who interact with it. Stepney City Farm’s main priority is to “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.”
On Saturdays, there is a quite successful farmers market that brings in customers, and online you can order bundles of produce at your convenience. Corporations can organize volunteering sessions. Schools and community groups can attend planned educational activities. And, passersby can drop in to feed the animals or simply enjoy a stroll in the greenery.
This farm had every right to pride itself in being a “rural oasis” within the city of London.
On my way out, I noticed people sitting outside and minding their own business. Sipping their coffees and teas. A cafe?! Yes! But it’s even more than that.
“I’ll have a cappuccino please,” I said.
“Take a seat anywhere you’d like and I’ll bring that right to you.”
I obliged and sat outside on the wooden benches. I noticed the lunch menu written on chalk on the wall. Every item highlighted a fresh vegetable from the farm. While not the focus of my blog post, a pleasant surprise that must be documented!
