
As you know, work began last year with the demolition of the cafe, with works ceasing from August onwards due to bat mating season. Shortly afterwards we obtained generous support from Amey PLC in the form of a full drainage survey which got us ready to start work in early spring, but then... COVID. However, in positive news Amey came back on site in July and laid our cafe foundations which also coincided with the build of our new large greenhouse on the farm garden. This progress on the cafe front has enabled our contractors to start work on site and things are progressing nicely. Those that live nearby will have seen that the roof is largely already in place and the overall cafe is now taking shape. We are hoping for an October/November opening - as long as we don’t get any extra surprises! Despite the success of raising 100k for our Cafe expansion and Workshops back in December 2018 we have found ourselves in typical ‘Grand Designs’ style to be rather short of the actual costs. So far we have spent £9,000 in unexpected costs ranging from bat roost surveys through to emissions calculations reports, these unexpected costs have not ended and we are still paying out for things like noise surveys before we can satisfy planners and open the cafe. Despite having stripped back the cafe design to minimise on costs we are still around £40k short of what we need to also bring the workshops back into use. It turns out working on a derelict heritage site carries many more challenges and costs than we could have imagined or prepared for! Any donations you are able to make or support you could offer to help us either with some of the building work or to raise these much needed funds will be a lifeline for the project. If you can support in anyway please contact Paulette at paulette@clitterhouse.com In other better news we had some success with funding bids we submitted at the beginning of lockdown. The funds raised will enable us to keep our garden open and maintained, run workshops from our new larger greenhouse onsite (see eventbrite links here:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-clitterhouse-farm-project-8445448187 ), support 12 local people to deliver online training and help us to upgrade our website so we can get information to you in a new and much improved format. If you have a particular skill or talent you would like to take online and offer to the community please get in contact with Paulette on: paulette@clitterhouse.com Upcoming events to be aware of: Open House London on the 19th September: Once again this year we are participating in Open House London. This time we will be able to open up the cafe space to show you how our dream vision for the space is being made a reality, speak to the architects that both designed and are currently building the space, find out about the farm’s rich history and see some of the artefacts Hendon and District Archeologists have unearthed over the last 4 archeological digs onsite. Find out more about Open House and check out our listing here. Talk by Directors of Clitterhouse Farm Project will be at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00pm: https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/listings/8339 Fun Palace 3rd October: Every year thousands of people make Fun Palaces for their own local community – sharing skills, meeting new people, creating connections. This year our community will be joining with communities across the UK to create our own Fun Palace. To find out more head here: https://funpalaces.co.uk if you would like to get involved please contact either tom@boyandpen.com or paulette@clitterhouse.com check out and share our event page here and watch our schedule unfold: https://www.facebook.com/events/2042994009168494?post_id=2042994012501827&view=permalink¬if_id=1599220047470613¬if_t=page_post_reaction&ref=notif If you are interested in volunteering or supporting the project in anyway please do get in contact on info@clitterhouse.com Thank you again for your continued understanding and support. Stay safe. The Farm Team PS. To keep up with our regular updates, check us out on social media: Twitter: www.twitter.com/clitterhouse Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/chfarm Instagram: www.instagram.com/clitterhousefarm