The Love’s Farm House AGM is coming up and we’re on the lookout for new Trustees!
Love’s Farm House is managed by a charity, Love’s Farm Community Centre CIO, which was created for the sole purpose of running the building on behalf of the local community. The Trustees of the charity are all volunteers and have overall responsibility for the building, including employing staff, managing finances, reviewing policies and organising events such as the Halloween Disco and Gin Nights.
Our Trustees help to organise our events. The Gin Labs involve careful research and experimentation!
Our Trustees are formally elected at the Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Friday 11th November 2022. This year we have several vacancies available. We are particularly keen to hear from people with a buildings / facilities background to help fill a skills gap on the current Board, but no particular skills or experience are needed as everyone will have their own strengths to bring to the table. All we ask is that you are committed to making Love’s Farm House a great asset to our community and that you can commit to attending the majority of the Trustee Meetings, which take place on the first Wednesday evening of each month.
If this sounds like a role for you, we would love to hear from you! Please email Raymon on chair@lovesfarmhouse.co.uk or call 01480 262626.
From May-August 2022, Love’s Farm House hosted weekly support sessions for Ukrainian refugees who settled in and around Love’s Farm under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
The sessions were organised by Lara Davenport-Ray and the Love’s Farm Community Association, following the fantastic response of Love’s Farm residents who opened their homes to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Some of our Ukrainian guests meeting Ben Pitt, Mayor of St Neots
Our Ukrainian guests gathered every Friday to have lunch together, sampling British food – the fish and chips takeaway went down very well – or clubbing together to make traditional Ukrainian favourites such as borscht.
Lunch was followed by support sessions run by local residents, who volunteered their time and skills to help our Ukrainian friends adjust to British life. These included a weekly English language class, money & benefits advice and CV & careers support. There were also field trips to get to know the local area. The Mayor of St Neots, Ben Pitt, came along to a session to welcome our Ukrainian guests and give them some information about the town.
An English class taking place at Love’s Farm House
The weekly sessions at Love’s Farm House have enabled our Ukrainian friends to build a strong and supportive community who are now able to communicate and meet socially without the support of an external organisation. Most of our guests have integrated well into the Love’s Farm and St Neots community, with many now attending work and school during the week. Formal English language tuition routes have also commenced. This means that attendance numbers have declined and it’s time to bring our Friday afternoon sessions at Love’s Farm House to a natural end.
We are very proud of how welcoming and supportive our community has been and we know that this has been a great opportunity for us to develop strong friendships with our Ukrainian guests. Many of them are now attending other regular activities at Love’s Farm House and meeting new friends. Thank you to everyone for making Love’s Farm such a great place to live!
You know we love any excuse for a disco at Love’s Farm House!
Come and join us on Saturday 3rd September to celebrate the return of your little treasures to school after a whole 6 weeks of holiday!
We’ll have music to get both the adults and the children on the dance floor, the bar will be open and there will be sweet and savoury snacks available for purchase.
Even better, Little Dutch Bites will be here, serving their delicious poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes).
Tickets cost £2.50 per child and include a complimentary soft drink. Under 1s don’t need a ticket and up to two parents go free with each paying child. All children must be accompanied by a parent or carer.
Love’s Farm House is on the lookout for new Trustees!
Love’s Farm Community Centre CIO is a charity which was specially created to manage Love’s Farm House on behalf of our community. The charity is headed by a board of volunteer trustees who have overall responsibility for the building.
Trustees manage the building’s finances, set hire fees, organise and market our events, draft the policies we need to have in place, employ Love’s Farm House staff and generally ensure that the charity meets its objective of making Love’s Farm House a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone in our community.
The full Trustee Board meets on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Trustees are also encouraged to join one or more of our sub-groups, focusing on particular areas such as events, marketing or facilities. There are opportunities (but no pressure) to get involved in other ways too: many of our Trustees help to run events such as the Gin Nights or Halloween Disco, volunteer at Lazy Breakfast or help to maintain the garden.
There are no particular skills or experience required to be a trustee, as everyone will bring something different to the table. We aim to have a wide range of trustees of varying backgrounds, ages and experience. All we ask is that you have a strong commitment to running Love’s Farm House for the benefit of our community and that you can commit to attending the majority of the monthly meetings.
If this sounds like a role for you, we would love to hear from you! Please email Raymon on chair@lovesfarmhouse.co.uk or call 01480 262626 for more information.
There’s lots of fun (and chocolate) for all the family this Easter at Love’s Farm House!
April kicks off with Easter-themed baby and toddler yoga classes by MamaBabyBliss on Friday 1 April for ages 2 months to 4 years (£10 per child). Each session includes a series of fun yoga moves alongside songs and rhymes to entertain and relax your little one. There will also be an Easter mini photo shoot, so don’t forget your bunny ears!
Little ones don’t get to have all the yoga fun though, as there will also be a special Yoga for Mums class on Sunday 3 April (£10 per person). This gentle, candlelit yoga class will nurture your body and mind and give you time to relax, unwind, rest and recharge, followed by tea and a chat. Contact joanna.miller@mamababybliss.com to book your space.
If your baby or toddler likes to party, get them booked in for the Hartbeeps Easter Rave on Monday 11 April (ages 5 and under). Included in the £15 ticket price is a party session, themed sensory stations to explore, refreshments, a gift for each child and a digital photograph. Click here for more information and to book your child’s ticket.
Older children will enjoy the Easter Craft Workshops on Tuesdays 5 and 12 April from 10.15-11.45am, which are aimed at children aged 5 and over. On 5 April children will be creating spring blossom and on the 12th it’s all about Easter eggs and bunnies. Workshops cost £8 per child, visit www.facebook.com/SilverRockDesigns to book your space.
There will also be crafts a-plenty at Messy Church on Good Friday (15 April, 3pm), where families can learn the real story of Easter with help from Helene and the Love’s Farm Church Team. The afternoon will include telling the Easter story through a range of activities, crafts, film clips, food and moments to wonder and ask why. The event is free, but you do need to book a space by contacting community.chaplain@yahoo.co.uk
Back by popular demand, after a break of more than 2 years, Chocolate Bingo will be returning on Thursday 14 April. Fun for all the family, bring your own snacks and drinks and settle in for bingo Love’s Farm style – playing for chocolate and sweets rather than money, and with our very own Love’s Farm bingo calls. £1 for a book of 10 games. No need to book, just come along at 6.30pm.
Chocolate Bingo is always popular on Love’s Farm!
We’ll be rounding off the Easter holidays with a special family film night on Good Friday, showing Mary Poppins Returns on the big screen.
Popcorn, crisps and sweet bags will be available at the bar, as well as a range of kid-friendly mocktails – and Mary Poppins themed cocktails for the adults too of course! Doors open at 6pm and the film will start promptly at 6.30. Tickets are £2.50 per person and will be available to buy on the door. All children must be accompanied by a parent or carer.
You can find details of all activities at Love’s Farm House on our What’s On page and there’s also lots of info on Facebook. Hope to see you there!
Are you looking for something to entertain your child during February Half Term? Look no further!
Inspirations Dance Academy will be running two Acro & Street Dance holiday clubs for children aged 4-15 years, on Monday 14th and Friday 18th February from 9am-12noon. Sessions cost only £10 per child. The clubs are open to all children and all abilities, not just children who attend their term-time classes.
Sessions will involve a mixture of Acro and Street Dance, as well as arts and crafts, games and activities.
Children will need a water bottle, a snack, comfortable clothes to dance in and an exercise mat.
Younger children may be interested in attending Limelight Entertainment’s Once Upon a Dream Valentine’s Ball on Thursday 17th February 10.30am-12.30pm. Join Princesses Belle and Aurora in a beautifully decorated venue for some Valentine’s fun.
There will be live performances from the Princesses, a craft activity and lots of dancing, fun and games. Each child will also receive a delicious lunch box.
A professional photographer will be on hand to document this special day.
For the adults, the Farm House Bar will be open as normal on Friday 18th February. Love’s Farm Book Club will be meeting in the hall to discuss their February book, In Five Years by Rebecca Serle over book-themed cocktails and plenty of gin (more information here). The Foyer Bar will be open for anyone wanting a chilled drink without the literary chat.
Hope to see you at Love’s Farm House this Half Term!
A very happy 2022 to all our customers, and here’s hoping it will be a good one.
We’ve had lots of new faces at the Farm House recently, so we thought it was time to introduce ourselves to any newbies to Love’s Farm and our wider community.
The Love’s Farm House Launch Festival – October 2015
Love’s Farm House aims to provide a space for everyone in our local community to make new friends, learn new skills, get active and get involved. We have a varied schedule of fitness classes, children’s and youth activities, uniformed organisations, support groups and faith activities, a Tuesday morning cafe and Friday evening bar where local residents can come and spend time with their neighbours, and one-off events to bring our community together.
We work closely with other local organisations such as the Love’s Farm Community Association and Love’s Farm Church to make Love’s Farm a great place to live and to deliver the activities and support that our local community wants and needs.
We have a packed schedule of weekly activities, with something for everyone, from baby sessions to adult exercise classes and from Acro to Zumba. You can find the details of everything going on at Love’s Farm House on our What’s On page.
On Tuesday mornings you can drop into the Farm House Coffee Shop for hot drinks and pastries. Bring your friends or a newspaper, or browse the books in our Micro Library – currently well-stocked with plenty of reading material including books from the Reading Well for Mental Health and Reading Well for Children campaigns.
The Farm House Bar goes from strength to strength, with a range of themed nights every Friday from the ever-popular Cocktails & Karaoke (absolutely no musical talent required), to the Love’s Farm Book Club who meet to discuss the latest literary offerings over lashings of gin, and the end-of-the-month Quiz Night where your Quizmaster Emma presides over rounds as diverse as Love’s Farm Street Names and Cheese…or Disease? We have lots of new ideas for bar nights in 2022, celebrating all sorts of things from Pride to Harry Potter, and beginning with an exciting Open Mic night on Friday 11th February. You can find details of our upcoming events on our Facebook page.
If you’re planning your own social event for 2022, Love’s Farm House is available for party bookings on weekend afternoons and Saturday evenings. Drop us an email on bookings@lovesfarmhouse.co.uk, call us on 01480 262626, or click here for more information.
And if you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands this year, we are always on the lookout for volunteers. No special skills are needed and we can find you something to help with for as much or as little time as you like. From weeding the garden to serving pastries at the cafe to ushering at an event, there’s a volunteer role for everyone. If you would like to get involved please sign up via our Volunteer Register or pop in for a chat.
Whatever your plans for 2022, we hope Love’s Farm House will be a part of them.
Admission free (donations welcome in support of the Love’s Farm Community Money Advice Service)
On Friday 10 December we welcome harpist Lucy Bunce to Love’s Farm House. You may remember Lucy from her recent appearance at the St Neots Micro Festival. She will be performing Songs for Christmas on voice and harp.
Admission is free, though donations are welcome in support of the Love’s Farm Community Money Advice Service. There will be nibbles on the table and the bar will be open. So gather your friends & neighbours and come on down to Love’s Farm House for an evening of Christmas music and Christmas spirit!
The Trustees and Members of the Love’s Farm Community Centre CIO, working as Love’s Farm House, are hereby convened to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2020-21 on Friday 12 November 2021 at 7.45pm.
Our AGM will be held in conjunction with Love’s Farm Community Association and the bar will be open. There will be an opportunity to sign up as a member on the night, and members will elect the Trustees and Officers of Love’s Farm House during the evening.
There is a requirement for one third of the Trustee Board to step down at each AGM. The following candidates are standing for election as Trustees:
Sian Hatt
Lara Davenport-Ray
The Trustees propose an alteration to the Charity’s Constitution at Section 7 to read:
A charity trustee must:
1) Declare the nature and extent of any interest, direct or indirect, which he or she has in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the CIO or in any transaction or arrangement entered into by the CIO which has not previously been declared; and
2) At the discretion of the non-conflicted Trustees, by majority vote, may be required to absent himself or herself from any discussions of the charity trustees in which it is possible that a conflict of interest will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the CIO and any personal interest (including but not limited to any financial interest).
Any charity trustee with a conflict of interest, whether or not he or she has been required to absent himself or herself from any discussions in accordance with this clause, must not vote or be counted as part of the quorum in any decision of the charity trustees on the matter.
The proposed amendments are underlined in the text above. A copy of the current Constitution of Love’s Farm Community Centre CIO, where the current text of the above clause can be seen, can be found here.
The proposal should be considered by the Members at the Annual General Meeting.
Love’s Farm House is the place to be this October half term!
Combining gymnastics elements with dance, acro dance is a great way to burn off some energy!
Half term week kicks off with Inspirations Dance’s Acro & Street Dance Holiday Workshop. If your child loves bouncing around the house doing handstands and cartwheels, this could be the club for them – and save your furniture in the process! The workshop runs from 10am-12noon on Tuesday 26 October. Click here or contact office@inspirations.dance for more information and to book your space.
Little Princes and Princesses will love the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Ball!
On Thursday 28 October 10.30am-12.30pm, the Love’s Farm House hall will be transformed into a beautiful ballroom where little princes and princesses can join Cinderella and Aurora for dancing, fun and games, a craft activity and live performances from the princesses. There will also be a delicious lunchbox to enjoy. Tickets to the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Ball cost £25 and can be purchased by emailing hello@limelightentertainmentuk.com or messaging their Facebook page.
The Library Presents: The Unexpected Adventures of Darwin the Chimp – coming to Love’s Farm House at half term!
There’s something a bit different on Friday 29 October, when the award-winning Ditto Theatre Company will be bringing their new show, The Unexpected Adventures of Darwin the Chimp, to Love’s Farm House. Suitable for families with children aged 5+, the show is an adventure of friendship and family and what it means to be home. The show is organised by The Library Presents, click here to book your tickets (making sure to select the Friday performance) or pop in to your local library.
Spooks & Sparkles – a not-so-scary Halloween party!
On Halloween itself, Emmabelle’s Princess Parties will be hosting two spoooooooky events. The Spooks and Sparkles Halloween Party from 12.45pm-2.15pm is a not-so-scary Halloween event hosted by the Mermaid Princess and the Lilypad Princess. Braver children will enjoy Once Upon a Wicked Halloween from 3.30pm-5pm, where two amazing Villain Kid (VK) hosts will be leading proceedings. Both events will include live singing and dancing performances, follow-along dancing, party snacks and a treat bag to take home. The events each cost £17 per child and tickets can be purchased here.
Join the VKs for Once Upon a Wicked Halloween
Don’t forget Love’s Farm House also has a varied schedule of regular activities during term time. Visit our What’s On page for full details. We hope to see you soon!
Love's Farm House 
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