About Us

Our Story

In around 2005 a message was heard, a divine download.

“In the future there will be food shortages, you must learn to grow food. Get the church involved as they are very well placed to help with this.

Get rid of your mortgage

Get rid of your bank account”

At this time the relevance and purpose of this message was unclear but over the next 15 years it would become very apparent.

Grounded Community was born in response to this message. It has been operating as a project since 2014 and a charity since 2020 in the Boscombe area. We have been developing and hosting a range of food related activities including food growing skills, food box scheme, food surplus collection, preserving bee keeping etc. A full description is on our website atwww.groundedcommunity.co.uk

The charity sits in a bigger context of creating food resilience in and around the BCP area. As part of the process of charity formation it operated as Grounded Enterprises for 5 years.  A number of activities were undertaken during this time including experimental growing on a roof top carpark, home garden pilots, and beekeeping. Also at this time food growing at Avon Valley Nurseries ran over a three year period, taking people in recovery and supported housing to join in the efforts there.  The large greenhouses there accommodated some effective food growing between 2015-2018 selling for to markets, cafes and an online platform called Food Assembly. At the end of 2018  we ceased operations there and concentrated on the Boscombe projects recognising that we did not just want to be food producers but actually wanted to teach others food growing skills.

We also had a debate on whether the Grounded Project should be a church lead, Christian project or a community one. At the time there was a split opinion and so Grounded Community Charity became a Community oriented Education charity

Now the time has come to begin looking and planning for wider areas of food growing, including small holdings, chemical free farms and linking with existing growers.

Awareness of the threat on our food production as a country and imminent food shortages especially fresh produce, in turn drives a passionate approach to develop more food growing.

There is also an awareness of a more totalitarian agenda across the world and many feel that it is time to prepare for operations outside of a centralised tech and digital future.

In addition to this, in light of the initial vision to get the church involved, a new project is being birthed. Ecclesia Farms will be built ‘Stone by Stone’ (Fransis of Assisi)… a ‘build it and they will come’ venture. (Woodstock, Waynes World and Noah).

The site at St. Giles Fram, Godshill, on the outskirts of the New Forest, allows for a community approach to food production.  Clauida and Eden have developed the land using Biodynamic methods. They have openly welcomed us to develop 4 acres of land previously used as a market garden.

Michael French has founded the Grounded project and will now join In to revive the Merket garden, grow food and build community. This is a kind of Tribal movement. Where many groups with different political and spiritual ideologies are forming to build land communities for Michael and his family this is a calling God has placed on them to build a Jesus Centered community here.  They have been inspired by St Fransis who cared for the poor and nature alike. He moved away from the trappings of commercial society and adopted a simpler way, a Third Way.

Thus far the church has not been interested or involved in this work. The time has come for that to change. There is scope here for much other vision and values to be added.

Alongside the many groups initiating food growing projects in the area Ecclesia Farms will connect and be part of the wider food creation for the local community.