WELCOMING A NEW PARTNER TO TRERAVEN FARM

Our new partner is Camel Community Supported Agriculture (Camel CSA). For almost ten years, Camel CSA has been growing and sharing fresh seasonal local food, supporting local vegetable growers and reducing food miles from their home at St Kew Highway. The Camel CSA is a social enterprise, so any profits are ploughed back into the project.​

Camel CSA want to move to Wadebridge to make things easier for their volunteers and to make the delivery of their vegetable boxes simpler. Their sustainable approach fits well with those of Gaia and we are pleased to be able to host them at Treraven Farm in the field immediately adjacent to the car park and opposite the Gaia Trust’s field shelter, which overlooks the town and the estuary.

The field is larger than their present one and will provide scope for Camel CSA to expand their growing area, create a wildflower meadow and plant an orchard. Together with the Camel CSA we will be able to expand joint social and educational at Treraven - truly "farming for people and nature".

Camel CSA's move will not happen in one go, and over the next two years they will gradually move their polytunnels, equipment store, solar panels and packing shed, whilst continuing to grow crops on the two sites simultaneously.  

Camel CSA have already raised more than half of the relocation costs from local and national sources and will shortly be submitting a planning application to Cornwall Council. This is for two freight containers that will be converted into secure equipment and packing sheds. They will be landscaped with sustainable green roofs and wildlife habitat so that they blend in with their Treraven surroundings.
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You will be able to view and comment on the planning application through Cornwall Council. Details of how to do this will be posted on the on-site planning notice, on the Cornwall Council planning website and through their other normal channels.

So what can you do?
There'll be numerous opportunities on special volunteer work days over the coming months to help Camel CSA dismantle, move and reinstate the polytunnels, construct sheds, plant Cornish hedging, install rabbit-proof fencing, prepare new no-dig vegetable beds and spread compost. If you feel you have a particular skill you could contribute just for a few hours we and they would love to hear from you.

Email Camel-CSA at [email protected] or contact the Gaia Trust through Richard our site ranger at [email protected].