A not-for-profit farm project is celebrating after scooping a £20,000 grant.

East Anglian Daily Times: Rose Helm and Joanne Mudhar planting seeds at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm in Rushmere St. AndrewRose Helm and Joanne Mudhar planting seeds at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm in Rushmere St. Andrew

The Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm Rushmere-St-Andrew, Ipswich, was awarded the two-year grant by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

East Anglian Daily Times: Gemma Sayers, sowing seed with the seed drill at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm, Rushmere St AndrewGemma Sayers, sowing seed with the seed drill at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm, Rushmere St Andrew

The grant will go towards helping the Community Interest Company (CIC) to increase membership of its vegetable Community Supported Agriculture Scheme, the first of its kind in Suffolk, as well as expanding the range of food offered to members include eggs, meat, fruit and more.

East Anglian Daily Times: Joanne Brannan, running the wheel hoe at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm, Rushmere St Andrew.Joanne Brannan, running the wheel hoe at the Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm, Rushmere St Andrew.

The aim of the farm is to create a financially viable and environmentally sustainable business producing food for the community of people that works on the land.

By teaching and demonstrating how this can be done, those behind the project hope to encourage others to do the same.

The enterprise is run by CIC directors Joanne Mudhar, Tom Wilmot and Eric Nelson.

They use a combination of ecological and regenerative agriculture techniques to restore depleted soil, along with a Community Supported Agriculture scheme, whereby our members who work on the farm share the risks and rewards of farming.

“By increasing our membership we will become financially self-sustaining. The grant also makes it possible for us to share what we are doing at with other interested organisations both locally and across the UK,” said Ms Mudhar.

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people and communities throughout the UK both now and in the future. It is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK and makes grants of £30million to £35m annually towards a wide range of work within the arts, education and learning, the environment and social change.

It also operates a £21m Finance Fund which invests in organisations that aim to deliver both a financial return and a social benefit.