Gibside Community Farm exists thanks to the involvement and efforts of many individuals giving up their time freely to support it. Here are just some of the people you’ll meet on the field or who work hard behind the scenes.
Stan joined GCG in 2020. His wife, Cathy, had been a member for a while and in the first lockdown he decided to join her at the field to help out. My favourite job is picking broad beans (I love them!). My least favourite is getting rid of thistles and planting garlic in a blizzard! My favourite fruit or veg is Broad beans!! Also the cauliflowers are surprisingly good. Interesting fact about Stan is that he was a lawyer in an international law firm and is now a Director of GCF. Stan says “for me working on the field is the antidote to my former working life. I enjoy the physical tiredness at the end of a hard day and I very much value the friendships I have made at GCF. There is a freedom and a purpose to working on the farm that I had not experienced before!”
Jane has been a member since 2017. Some of my friends were involved and I shared their ethos of reducing food miles. I believe everyone has the right to fresh, organic, local seasonal veg! My least favourite job is putting down the bio mulch! Or any job in the winter 
. My favourite job is harvesting and seeing the results of my labour! 
Tomatoes are my favourite. This is the first year we have grown them on the field (2022). Jane is a keen amateur botanist and loves helping with the yearly Wild Flower Survey on the field
Kath has been a member of Gibside Community Farm for 6 years. I joined because I like to eat local, fresh, organic veg and I wanted to learn how to grow them. My favourite job is planting and then harvesting what I have planted. I love seeing (and eating) the results of my labour! I don’t like weeding but it has to be done! 
My favourite are tomatoes 
. I am very excited we now have a polytunnel, which means we are growing them this year. I love making the Mediterranean dish Tumbet. Kath is the coordinator for Saturday working at the farm, which is held once a month.
Frank has been a member for about 2 years and heard about GCF from some other members who are also members of the choir he sing in – the Caedmon Choir. All the jobs are interesting but I only come occasionally and it is always sunny when I am there. His favourite vegetable to grow are potatoes. Frank is a keen cyclist and likes to cycle to the field but it is a hilly 14 miles 
Charlotte is a member and goes to the field every Tuesday with the same group of people, from 10.30-3.30 to do her bit of peasant farming! Its a sociable day and we usually work in pairs doing various jobs and then eat lunch together. Depending on the time of year this can involve preparing the ground, weed control activities or planting crops such as onions, leeks, cabbage, beetroot and peas. Harvesting is also a main activity each week as is making sure the crops are well protected from birds and animals. She also helps with minute talking at meetings and the website.
Rachel is one of the Directors of Gibside Community Farm. So she supports the strategic direction of the organisation. She is very involved in planning the growing of the crops and helping the people who work on the field to know what they need to do each day. She goes to the field twice a week to help plant, weed and harvest. She enjoys getting muddy, learning new things, being part of a community and the view!
Join us and get involved!