CAN you be in the country and the city at the same time? You can – at St James’ Community Farm.
As cars swish past on the M2 just yards away, animals and their ever-caring minders are enjoying a life of rural relaxation. Unless you’re supervisor DamiEn 'Limbo' Lindsay that is, who, when the judges of the Aisling Guardian of the Environment Award called in this week, was busy scrubbing away all that sweet-smelling mess that animals leave in their pens overnight!
Limbo has seen the farm take root and blossom since it started nine years ago and today it’s the beating heart of the community. If proof of that were needed, it came earlier this month. When the Community Farm was suddenly landed with a £2,500 insurance bill, they asked local people for help. If 150 of them would consider paying £20 to become members of the Community Farm, the bill would be paid.
“We got it in a week,” says Damien.
To call it a farm is selling it short – it’s much more than that. Each day sees different people coming here – there’s a Pallets for Profit group who can perform miracles with pallet wood; Sunday is devoted to people with special educational needs; there’s a dementia group; a gardening group, and many others.
With just one full-time and two part-time workers, it relies on the efforts of more than 30 volunteers.
“We’d be nothing without the volunteers,” says Damien. “We have about 25 who come here all the time – people who love animals.”
And just as we spoke, one of those volunteers, Dutch woman Julia Pirie, appeared with her favourite animal – Murphy the donkey. Murphy adores Julia – and the feeling is clearly mutual. When camera-shy Murphy refused to budge towards the Andersonstown News photographer, Julia literally had a word in her ear and she agreed to cooperate.
“We have a connection,” Julia laughed. “We’re both as stubborn as a mule!”
The farm boasts 41 animals which attract a steady stream of individual and group visitors. Most are rescue animals whose owners gave them up for one reason or another. They include egg-laying chickens and geese, five goats, two ponies, a rabbit, a hedgehog, a parrot (Alice, not Troy!), three tortoises, a peahen and a peacock. They might be the most attractive of the lot, but they’re also the most troublesome.
“I left the gate open one day and he took a run and took off,” says Damien. “He flew across the M1 and spent three days on the roof of Agnew Leasing!
“Another time he got out and spent six days on the roofs of houses in St James’. My phone never stopped from people telling me where he was. And I begged them not to feed him because he’d come back when he’s hungry. But so many of them were telling me they took pity on him and threw bread up to him!”
Chip the big white goat refused to come out of his pen to greet the Aisling judges – he just poked his head out nervously. “He thinks you’re the vets so he’s hiding,” said Damien.
The running costs of the farm are considerable – including straw and hay for the animals, a thirsty water meter and those vet bills. But the team here are resourceful. Sitting on the pavement outside the farm were a dozen huge bags filled with aluminium cans, donated by families in the area as well as the local Gaelscoil and clubs like the PD and Roddy’s.
“People come down in their cars every day with cans. We’ve recycled a million cans a year for the past four years,” said Damien. At £8 a tonne bag, “It’s a lifesaver,” he adds.
And although the farm is firmly in West Belfast, the volunteers and visitors come from far and wide. “We have the Village Regeneration Team helping out, and the Windsor Women. Volunteers come from the Shankill so we are proud of our cross-community element,” says Damien.
Christmas will see Santa, a grotto and a light show – but of course there’ll be no fireworks. “We had to lock all the animals in their pens on Halloween night because they get so frightened with all the bangs,” said Damien.
The farmyard animals here all seem so happy and love to be petted. One of the goats even popped its head through the fence and started nibbling at Dúlra’s notebook!
Maybe some of those busy commuters zooming past on the M1 should consider slowing down and calling in – spending 20 minutes in the company of the animals in the farmyard of St James’ Community Farm would be the perfect stress-buster for any commuter.
•If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.
