Kentish Town City Farm ‘is not a business and must not to be judged as one’

• I AM very concerned about the future of Kentish Town City Farm, (‘Death spiral’ warning for Kentish Town City Farm, May 2).

I’ve lived in Camden since 1970, been a visitor to the farm since it opened, and have been involved as a gardener, food grower and volunteer for the last 11 years.

We must not lose the farm. It is an essential community project for everyone and provides an extraordinary range of services and support to many different members of the community especially to children, young people and those who need more support.

We need to remember this is not a business and must not to be judged as one. Of course, it must operate within a sound financial context but a huge proportion of the profit of Kentish Town City Farm is in the people and the community and the added value to the quality of their lives. This is especially true in a time of extended austerity.

Kentish Town City Farm is an intricate and complex organisation which has grown, developed and changed organically over time to meet and engage with the people of Queen’s Crescent, Kentish Town, Camden and much further afield.

The commitment and skills of the staff are crucial to the project and have taken years of hard work, engagement, adaption and learning to develop. It would be very easy to lose all this if the future of the farm is put in jeopardy.

We must not let this happen. It has happened to too many community projects in these years of government cuts. I hope we can all work together to ensure a growing future for all the services currently on offer at KTCF.

ALISON READ
Mornington Crescent, NW1