Did you see how beautiful Snakehall Farm looked on BBC Look East last night (21/08/19). Its true what they say, the camera puts on acres! We are super proud of all of our Co-workers and staff for showcasing the special place that is Prospects Trust. For those of you who weren’t glued to the tellybox at 6:30pm last night here are some snippets.
Author: Maz Baker
A Resounding Success!
The Shovel the Hovel Project receives a boost of funding that made us all sing at Snakehall Farm this summer. The Prospects Trust received over £900 from ReSound after their beautiful summer concert. We spoke with our Trustee Jane Kershaw about her involvement with ReSound:
“I am very proud to be a member of ReSound, a 36 voice choir that performs regularly around Cambridge, singing an eclectic contemporary and traditional mix of a cappella songs from different cultures, rich in harmony and rhythm.
We have been singing together since 2010, when the choir was created by our musical Director, Rowena Whitehead. Rowena has been called “a musical activist”, a neat phrase that sums up a thread weaving through all she does. She is a performer, a composer, a teacher, a singing leader, a facilitator who inspires everyone she works with.
She believes that singing runs deep within us all and reaches parts that nothing else touches. For Rowena singing is more than a pleasure, it’s an essential expression of life that helps individuals and communities thrive.
This is one of the things that makes Tuesday evening rehearsals so special: we only do music that touches the heart and everyone knows each other pretty well after singing together for such a long time.
We usually sing to raise money for charitable causes, so everyone in the choir was delighted to sing for Prospects and get to know a bit about it as an organisation – and a total of £950 from the concert at St Cyriac’s was an added bonus.”
The Big Green Swish
Friday 19th July from 7pm at Prospects Trust Unwrapped 13 Lynn Road, Ely
An amazing eco-event comes to Ely! The first opportunity to showcase our new shop (minus our produce but lots of pop up stalls and clothes rails instead). This is a fabulous community collaboration with our new friends at EcoEly, Ely Swish and Spotted in Ely. Come for a wardrobe refresh that won’t break your bank balance nor the environment, grab the next size up to make room for delicious cake and slurp a cuppa while chatting to our local producers, awareness raisers and the team members behind the event!
Book your Swish Ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-big-green-swish-tickets-64422541556
Re-Toy Story – Pre-loved Toy Sale on 20th July 11:30 to 2pm @Prospects Trust Unwrapped Ely
Prospects Trust Unwrapped hasn’t yet swung open its doors for trading but we are looking forward to a few pop-up fundraising events in our new shop space. Our second fundraising event is our Pre-loved Toy Sale. We are taking over the Lighthouse Community Room just in time for the school summer holidays. You can clear out the toy cupboards & children’s book shelves and replenish with new to them (but preloved before). Either book a sellers pitch with a £5 donation towards Prospects Trust (Reg. Charity No 1048584/Co. Ltd by Guarantee 3087221) or attend the event as a buyer, remember to bring your bags & boxes! There will be refreshments on sale and you will get an opportunity to take an early sneaky peak at the new shop.
Prospects Unwrapped’s Toy Sale will be held at Lighthouse Ely, 13 Lynn Road, Ely CB7 4EG. Click here for “Where to Park” and to find details of this event on Facebook: Facebook Event – Toy Sale and Insta
With a little help from our friends
The Ely shop is taking shape thanks to 100s of donated hours from great corporate groups and our firm friends (you know who you are). This week the wonderful Steve, Rupert, Martin and Giorgia from Mace left no job undone! Farm friend Ken H has been on the tools from the day we turned the key, he has painted the place from top to bottom. Lots of support from the Lighthouse Community has meant that Manager Tom has been kept busy but also supported. We have transformed the abandoned space into a really retro retail space on a shoestring budget and lots of up-cycled furnishings. We cannot express our gratitude to all who have helped unwrap Prospects Trust Unwrapped.
We are still looking to fit out the Farm Food Servery, we need a new kitchen, sinks and catering kit. We can recycle pre-loved units, giving them a lease of life in our vital food hub. Offers of help to be sent to [email protected] or call the Farm Office on 01638 7414551
Unwrap your potential
Prospects Trust Trainee Placements are now available, starting from September 2019, we are bringing a new way to learn on to the high street of Ely. We are looking to recruit 20 new Co-worker Trainees to be our first cohort to gain accredited qualifications in retail and food safety.
Take a look at our flexible training programme, with 2 day placements starting from £50 per week. Download our Placement Pack or contact us on 01638 741551 for more information.
Weigh in Weigh in – Zero-Waste Heavyweights in Ely
Prospects Trust at Snakehall Farm has been the home of “naked” cucumbers since 1989. For 30 years we have never shrink wrapped our cucumbers and we have always sold locally grown organic produce direct to our customers in our little “veg shed” on the farm.
Now we are bringing our old idea to Ely. By September 2019 our Ely customers will be able to source their local, organic, eco and seasonal products plastic free in a brand new shop – Prospects Unwrapped.
We have just purchased the most amazing scales and till system to make this unpackaged way to shop easy peasy (fingers crossed). You will bring your own containers, weigh & tare, print label, fill and weigh again – then repeat! Don’t worry we will always have a helpful staff & trainee on hand to help.
We have also been donated this rather eye catching retro scale – as a feature of our shop! Don’t worry trading standards our new scales are much more accurate than this.
Unwrapping a Refill Larder for Ely
Prospects Trust Unwrapped brings plastic wrap free shopping opportunity to Ely. The Refill Wall is starting to take shape in our shop front. It arrived by pallet (in lots and lots of wrapping – all being reused, re purposed or recycled) and took up the entire lobby of Lighthouse Ely.
Cuppa & Chat Consultations – 9th May 2019
Larder Stock Ideas 
Prospects Produce 
Organic & Upcycled
Thank you to all our local supporters who attended the two public consultation events held in our empty shop front on a dull day in May with their bright chatter. We were inundated with offers of help, questions and general support that we have been busy ever since turning our business plan into a fully functioning shop in time for the Snakehall Farm Harvest. Thank you to all who attended, gave us feedback and joined our mailing list.
Thank you for your feedback on the stock you want to see in our amazing Refill Larder space. We will be offering dried goods and refill liquids alongside our fresh farm produce and your feedback has helped us find the right local and UK wholesalers to bring you these items plastic wrap free and affordable.
From our surveys we have discovered everyone is supportive of our venture (but nobody was going to be rude to our faces right?) but more importantly we found that people want to shop locally and seasonally, which is fabulous for a farm shop that can stock direct from our fields. We also found out that local was more important than organic. We are lucky to be able to provide both options. Our shop stock will tick either “local” “organic” “sustainable” or “eco” or it won’t hit out shelves.
Tilly’s Tastes – Recipe Card
Rhubarb Poo Pudding (aka Sticky Rhubarb Pudding)
Maz, our Development Manager, loves a new recipe and this is her current seasonal fave fresh for the rhubarb season. Her daughter is a very honest food critic in the making and renamed the sticky rhubarb pudding as “Rhubarb Poo”. It has now stuck (its that sticky) and has become a Sunday feast finisher. Here’s our Tilly’s Tastes Recipe of the Season. Download the recipie card below.
