Community Fund – Batley Girls’ High School – November Update

It’s all change for the farm at Batley Girls’ High School as we sadly bid farewell to Yvonne Kilvington, the farm manager.  Yvonne has joined another school much closer to where she lives mainly because the school wanted her to develop bee keeping on site.  We wish her well.  This leaves the farm in a state of limbo for the time being as the school searches for someone to replace Yvonne.  A number of strong candidates have applied for the job so it is hoped that it will be business as usual after January 2013.  The school farm shop has been set up and has had a few successful trial openings.  The challenge facing the new farm manger will be to ensure that the shop is sufficiently stocked to be able to open one day a week to service the local community.  Our avian flock continues to grow- an extra 15 ducks have now made the farm their home and we continue to take ex-battery hens on a regular basis, giving the birds some years of freedom in their twilight years to roam and lay eggs.  The guinea fowl turned out to be too noisy a neighbour for people living near the school and had to be re-homed.  However, the quails are breeding and thriving and the farm continues to enthrall and captivate the attention of the girls.