Canalside Community Food is situated on the south east side of Radford Semele, just outside Leamington Spa (see map). Until 2018, the land farmed by Canalside Community Food was part of Leasowe Farm (a family run farm that covers an area of about 145 acres) and was rented from the Ingall family.
After 10 years of growing vegetables on the land, the Ingall family offered Canalside Community Food the exciting opportunity to buy the land they had been renting since the start of the scheme. An investment share offer was launched in spring 2018 and, after an extremely positive response from Canalside members and their friends and family members, and people from the local area and further afield, the purchase price of the 10 acres was raised through investment shares. Generous donations were also received to help cover the legal costs associated with buying the land. This means that the land farmed by Canalside Community Food (now run as a Community Benefit Society or CBS) is now owned by the community and held in perpetuity for the purpose of growing food for local people.
More details about the investment share offer we ran in summer 2018.
As well as the vegetable growing fields, polytunnels and social area, Canalside Community Food has a small mixed orchard. This is on Leasowe Farm land that continues to be rented from the Ingall family. The trees were planted in winter 2009-10, along with a variety of soft fruit bushes and plants, as well as rhubarb.
In winter 2004-05 the Ingall family planted up a 10-acre field to be a new native woodland, with the help of a grant from the Forestry Commission and many helpful local volunteers. This woodland (known as Tallis Wood) is now steadily maturing, and visitors to Canalside pass through it when they come down the drive to Canalside. The woodland is managed through regular woodland work days run by Caz and Tom Ingall, and a range of community groups use the wood for their activities.
Updated on 24th April 2020