OBE for City Farms and Community Gardens’ Ian Eggington-Metters
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Ian Egginton-Metters Assistant CEO of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list, in recognition of his contribution to city farming.
Ian’s interest in the therapeutic and educational benefits of farming and gardening began in the 70s, when he was an agriculturalist at a leprosy hospital in India where patients ran a 350-acre farm. He returned to the UK and became involved in city farming in 1980 and went on to run the national Federation until 2000, before helping develop a number of partnerships including Care Farming UK, the School Farms Network, Growing Schools and Access to Farms.
Ian said he was pleased to receive the award, as it would help highlight the work of the city farms and community gardens movement: “Hundreds of people in the city farming movement deserve recognition for their work, and I hope that this award helps in some small way to increase recognition.
Over the years it has been humbling to work with inspirational and committed people who have battled many difficulties to create a movement that has a tremendous track record for sustainable community-managed garden/farm-based activities.
The need today is just as it was in the early 70s, and although challenges change, there are thousands of people contributing to their local communities, benefitting millions of people in a myriad of ways – as a result I remain inspired to continue working alongside them.”
The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens represents over 200 farms and 1000 gardens mainly in UK cities and works to promote the development of green spaces, to strengthen local community links and to increase awareness of gardening and farming.
For further details see website: www.farmgarden.org.uk