Local Company Kiley's Karpets gives School Farms Project a boost!

Inspired by the success of a pilot Seeds Challenge project in schools in Sierra Leone last year, local company Kiley's Karpets has stepped in and donated £500 toward the 2021 School Farms Project.

Last year just £200 enabled 21 schools in Hastings, Sierra Leone to buy seeds and grow crops so successfully they were able to provide food crops for the school community and sell some of the harvest to raise funds for the schools and buy more seeds.

Isabel Hodger who coordinated the Seed Challenge last year said: "We were so excited and surprised by the enthusiasm of pupils and teachers in Sierra Leone. It was a huge success and we have huge admiration for their dedication."

Link Trustee David Lewis, who is leading the School Farms Project for 2021 added "If we can encourage young people to work hard and see the results of their labours, it might inspire them to create a future in horticulture. Creating Livelihoods is key to giving these children a sustainable career."
The 2021 School Farms Project builds on last year's success. It is a more structured approach to developing self-sustaining farms that continue to benefit the school and local community. It will focus on schools working together, involving local communities and developing skills in agriculture for the students. This year there are 24 schools involved and some of them already have exciting ideas for moving forward. The project will be launched with a workshop on 20th March, led by the new Project Manager Jeitta Kaneh.

Dain Jensen, owner of Kiley's Karpets, is a patron of the Link and long term supporter and fundraiser. He said: "When I heard of the success of the Seeds Challenge and how so little can make such a difference and inspire young people, there was no doubt in my mind that this project was something we wanted to support and see evolve into something much bigger which can give the children hope for the future."

Richard Homewood, Link Chairman concluded: "We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from Kiley's Karpets. It will give the School Farms Project a real boost and we have to give a huge thank you to Dain and his company for this donation and all of his previous fundraising for us."

If you would like to donate something towards this amazing project or our other worthy projects go to https://www.hastingshastings.org.uk.