Heeley City Farm: Sheffield visitor attraction and charity to 'make redundancies' and future of cafe and garden centre uncertain

The urban farm and rare breeds centre said: “Heeley City Farm are implementing a financial rescue plan to help the charity to continue to support its many clients and the wider community. After carefully considering all options, including closure, the board unanimously backed the rescue plan.”

New chair Dave Clarson said: “After three decades of helping to build Sheffield’s modern voluntary sector, I am determined to help save one of Sheffield’s most loved and valued institutions. Like many local charities, we have a difficult road ahead of us. The farm is rich with potential, but our first task is to survive. This means costs will be cut, and with deep regret for the people involved, jobs will be lost.

"An invitation to express interest in voluntary redundancies is now being sought from staff, and all options are being considered to avoid compulsory redundancies. The cafe and the garden centre do provide a community service, however, we do need our commercial services to contribute to the company’s finances. A new approach is needed to address this, and we do envisage the cafe re-opening in some form in 2023.

"Heeley City Farm is facing a major challenge and I ask local people to support us as we take measures to ensure the farm can play its part in the future of the city; the farm’s trustees will make further announcements in 2023.”

The board of trustees added that the crisis had been caused by operating costs outstripping income following the end of Covid business support from the government and other grants.

The farm was set up in 1981 on a site where housing had been demolished to make way for a bypass that was eventually never built. It provides horticultural and environmental education. The last of the terraced houses scheduled for clearance was retained and preserved by the charity.