The Pearce-Coggan Foundation

 

Growing up both MaryAnn and Martin were lucky enough to spend time living in the countryside and reap all the amazing benefits that brings. But having spent much of their working lives in the city, they were acutely aware that many children and families still today are not so fortunate enough to be able to get outside and spend time enjoying and understanding nature.

 

The land, garden and magical woodlands at Green Farm therefore presented an opportunity, and in 2014 they established the Pearce Coggan Foundation, a charity to help and inspire people, who might otherwise find it difficult to do so, to get outside, get active and connect with nature.

 

Gaining full charitable status in 2020, the Pearce Coggan Foundation (PCF) is now a  Registered Charity (1189417) and has simple double mission:

• To inspire young people to be free through being active in the countryside

• To work with others on a landscape scale to conserve and enhance the ancient woodland and traditional meadows

 

The Community, Wildlife & Vegetable Garden at Green Farm is a key resource of the charity: providing food for the inner-city family camping at Green Farm for the last seven years, employing two horticultural apprentices, giving volunteering opportunities to many local adults and children, and a safe environment for those completing their community service. It is also an invaluable educational tool for the children and families to come and learn about where food comes from and how they can eat more healthily and naturally.

 

As well as owning and running the Community Garden, PCF partners with Outdoor People from Hackney to deliver “Outdoor Family Camping” at Green Farm. Since 2014, this program has brought over 52 families with 47 children, half under the age of 7, to Green Farm to “get outside and be active”. A survey of the families that have come to Green Farm responded:

• 83% of say they have started going outdoors more

• 100% of respondents say going outdoors now makes them feel better than they were feeling before

• All regular participants say “We now make sure we go outdoors every day”

 

Alongside the Outdoor Family Camping, PCF partners with Kent Wildlife Trust to:

• Understand the condition of the meadows and ancient woodland

• Work on habitat improvement and species enrichment

• Use Green Farm as a study site for the management of low weald meadows and woodland 

• Our aim is to use the activities around conservation and environmental improvement to create respect for nature and introduce visitors to the benefits of getting outdoors and getting active.

 

Much of the Foundation’s activities are funded by the commercial ventures at Green Farm and all built on PCF’s three charitable priorities:

• Getting Outdoors and getting Active: because whatever your age or ability, spending time outdoors is good for us

• Getting to know your Food: bridges the knowledge-gap from Farm-to-table and encourages us to consider everything from food production to food waste

• Getting in touch with Nature: is about valuing and looking after of your surroundings