Bath City Farm

What Bath City Farm does

Bath City Farm is a registered charity (Charity No. 1050202, Company No. 3112751) operating a 37-acre urban farm site at Kelston View, Whiteway, Bath, approximately two miles from the city centre. Founded in 1995 on land referenced in the Domesday Book, the farm combines a working agricultural operation (polytunnels, market garden, orchards, forest garden, and farm-reared livestock) with a community hub including a children's playground, woodland and nature trails, an amphitheatre, and meeting rooms. Day-to-day operations are delivered by a team of 16 staff plus dozens of regular volunteers under the leadership of Farm Director Brendan Tate Wistreich (appointed September 2021) and a board of trustees chaired by Thomas Sheppard.

The charity runs a diversified portfolio of free and paid services. Educational offerings include curriculum-linked school visits (Early Years through KS5), Farm Club for ages 5-11, Farm Hands for ages 11-16, Little Farmers for under-5s, and the Wild Acres alternative provision for children requiring additional support. Adult programmes include Roots to Work (vocational training in conservation and catering for adults with mental health challenges or learning disabilities), therapeutic gardening groups (Get Growing Mental Health, Branching Out, Feathered Friends for dementia residents), and Family Feasts community cooking sessions. Commercial income is generated through the Roots to Work Cafe (opened May 2022), Farm Shop and Garden Shop (selling farm-reared meat, fresh produce, flowers, and locally sourced goods), venue hire (meeting room, amphitheatre, garden plots), afternoon teas, birthday parties, and corporate team-building days, alongside the annual Farm Fest festival.

Revenue is split between grants from charitable trusts and foundations (Somerset Freemasons, St John's Foundation, Power to Change, BBC Children in Need, Quartet, WECA, BANES Council, Enovert, Henry Smith Charity, UKRI), corporate and individual donations, crowdfunding appeals, and earned commercial income from the cafe, shops, events, venue hire, and educational services. The business model is intentionally non-commercial at the visitor layer — entry to the farm is free with donations welcome — with paid services concentrated on food and beverage, retail, venue hire, and structured programmes. The farm has secured over £500,000 in capital funding for the community cafe, raised £40,000 via Crowdfunder with Aviva match funding in 2024, and serves over 24,000 visitors annually alongside 292 programme participants across 10 targeted community projects.

Name

Bath City Farm

Legal name

Bath City Farm

Website

https://bathcityfarm.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bath City Farm is a registered charity operating a 37-acre urban farm in Bath, UK, delivering free public access, therapeutic and educational programmes for schools, mental health service users, families, and adults with learning disabilities, alongside cafe, farm shop, and venue hire income streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funded Projects: Bath City Farm operates as a registered charity reliant on grants and funding from charitable organizations, trusts, foundations, and corporate supporters to fund its range of projects and community programs.
2. Cafe Operations: The Roots to Work Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, coffee, cake, and afternoon teas to visitors. Food is sourced from the farm where possible. Cafe generates profit reinvested into charitable activities.
3. Farm Shop Sales: Fresh produce and flowers sold on Saturdays, farm-reared meat products including sausages, sausage meat, pork belly, lamb products, locally sourced cheeses, butter, eggs, biscuits, chocolates, crisps, chutneys, and jams.
4. Donations: Free entry to the farm with donations welcome. Corporate sponsors, individual donors, and community fundraising events.
5. Venue and Event Hire: Amphitheatre, meeting room hire, garden plots, birthday parties, team building activities, corporate away days, and annual events like Farm Fest.
6. Afternoon Tea Service: Farm Afternoon Teas priced at £24 for 2 people including freshly made sandwiches, cakes, farm-made scones with clotted cream and jam, and speciality teas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Bath City Farm operates a 37-acre urban farm as a registered charity, providing free public access to farm animals, woodland trails, and a children's playground. It runs an on-site community cafe (Roots to Work Cafe), a farm shop selling locally sourced produce, and delivers therapeutic horticulture programmes, educational school visits, skills training for adults with additional needs, venue hire, and community events.

Product overview

Bath City Farm is a 37-acre urban farm and registered charity that operates a diversified portfolio of products and services centered on community engagement, education, and wellbeing. The core offerings include: a public-facing farm site with free admission offering animal encounters, nature trails, and play facilities; Roots to Work Cafe (opened 2022) serving farm-grown food and providing vocational training; and retail operations including a Farm Shop and Garden Shop selling locally sourced and farm-reared products. Community services are organized across multiple targeted programmes including Little Farmers (under 5s), Farm Club (ages 5-11), Farm Hands (ages 11-16), Under 5s Groups, Roots to Work Programme, and Adult Groups offering therapeutic wellbeing activities. Additional services include Team Building corporate days, Venue Hire, School Visits, Birthday Parties, and Farm Afternoon Teas. The farm also hosts the annual Farm Fest event and operates an Adopt an Animal sponsorship programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roots to Work Cafe On-site community cafe serving breakfast, lunch, coffee, cake and afternoon teas using ingredients grown on the farm; also provides work experience placements through the Roots to Work programme for adults from mental health and learning disability programmes. Open Tuesday-Sunday.
• Farm Shop On-site retail shop selling locally sourced cheeses, butter, fruit and vegetables, farm eggs, biscuits, chocolates, crisps, chutneys, jams, and farm-reared meat including lamb and pork products.
• Garden Shop Saturday shop selling fresh produce and flowers grown on-site by therapeutic gardening groups, without pesticides or fertilisers; proceeds go back into farm projects.
• Farm Afternoon Teas Afternoon tea service priced at £24 for 2 people, including freshly made sandwiches, cakes, and farm-made scones with clotted cream and jam; served Wednesday to Friday from 1.30pm.
• School Visits Educational farm visits on Tuesdays for Early Years, Key Stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with curriculum-linked workshops covering farming, animals and nature through hands-on experiences.
• Wild Acres Alternative Provision Alternative education provision for children and young people requiring additional support, delivered on the farm site.
• Little Farmers Programme Free weekly group for children under 5 and their grown-ups to play, explore the farm, feed animals, grow vegetables, and connect with others; available to families in Southdown, Whiteway, Twerton and surrounding areas.
• Farm Club Weekly sessions for children aged 5-11 exploring the 37-acre site including collecting eggs, foraging, crafts, cooking, pony-grooming and alpaca handling; runs Thursdays 3.45pm-5.45pm and Saturdays 9.45am-12.15pm at £10 per child.
• Farm Hands Youth Group Youth group for young people aged 11-16 working with animals and the public in a safe, non-judgmental environment; builds self-esteem, teamwork and mental health. Runs Tuesdays 3.45pm-5.45pm and Saturdays 1.45pm-4.15pm.
• Farm Tots (Under 5s Groups) Programme for under-5s and their grown-ups involving farm activities including collecting eggs, holding and feeding animals, and free-flow activities suited to their interests.
• Roots to Work Programme Therapeutic well-being and training programme providing conservation skills (perennial plants, crested newts, gardening) to help adults with mental health challenges transition to employment, including catering placements in the Roots to Work Cafe.
• Adult Therapeutic Groups Volunteer teams and therapeutic well-being groups for adults including specialist groups for adults with additional needs (e.g. mental health, learning disabilities, social isolation).
• Corporate Team Building Days Outdoor team building activities for corporate groups across the 37-acre farm site, designed to build skills, confidence and morale.
• Venue Hire Hire of farm facilities including the Meeting Room, Amphitheatre, and Garden Plots for events and community use.
• Birthday Parties Birthday party packages for children including farm animal interactions and activities.
• Farm Site Visit Free public access to the 37-acre urban farm site including farm animals, woodland and nature trails, children's playground, and community spaces; donations welcome. Located 2 miles from Bath city centre.
• Farm Fest Annual community festival with live music across two stages, kids activities, workshops, campfire open mic and community events; serves as an important fundraiser. Ticket tiers include Free Entry, Supported Entry £5, Standard Entry £10, and Pay It Forward £20, with children free.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 24,000 visitors annually plus 292 people accessing projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Care UKminorOthersHealthcare provider that selected Bath City Farm as their Charity of the Year, providing corporate fundraising support.
• Ken Biggs ContractorsminorOthersConstruction company appointed to build the new community cafe. Has historical connection to farm dating back to 1995 site development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stepney City Farm: Stepney City Farm is a free-entry East London urban farm charity delivering educational visits, volunteering, and community food growing. Mirrors Bath City Farm's combined model of public farm access, therapeutic/community programming, and on-site produce sales.
• Mudchute Park & Farm: One of the largest inner-city farms in Europe, Mudchute Park & Farm is a charity-run urban farm in London's Docklands offering free entry, educational visits, a riding school, and community programmes. Directly comparable to Bath City Farm in operating model (urban farm charity, free admission, mixed education, therapy and community programming, on-site cafe and venue hire).
• Feed Bristol: Feed Bristol is a Bristol-based therapeutic food-growing charity running mental health, school, and volunteer programmes across its productive urban site. Comparable to Bath City Farm on therapeutic horticulture focus, regional geography, and grant-funded community charity model.
• Hackney City Farm: Hackney City Farm is a small London urban farm charity with free entry, school visits, therapeutic activities, and a small cafe/shop. Strong like-for-like comparable with Bath City Farm on programme mix, visitor model, and grant-funded operational structure.
• Surrey Docks Farm: Surrey Docks Farm is a working urban farm in Southwark London delivering education, training, and community programmes from a productive agricultural site. Directly comparable to Bath City Farm on the integration of food production, education, and therapeutic services within a city-farm charity.
• St Ann's City Farm (Nottingham): St Ann's City Farm is a Nottingham-based urban farm charity combining rare breeds, school visits, therapeutic activities, and venue hire. Closely comparable in mission, programming mix, and small-staff non-profit operating model.
• Farms for City Children: Farms for City Children is a charity running residential farm experiences for primary-aged children, using working farms to deliver education and wellbeing outcomes. Comparable to Bath City Farm's educational/outdoor-learning mission, although its model is residential rather than community-based.
• Vauxhall City Farm: Vauxhall City Farm is a small urban farm charity in inner London running therapeutic and educational programmes for schools, vulnerable adults, and the local community. Closely comparable in mission, scale and operational shape to Bath City Farm's community/wellbeing programmes and free public access model.
• Kentish Town City Farm: Kentish Town City Farm is a North London urban farm charity running therapeutic horticulture, school programmes, and volunteer-led activities for the local community. Operates on a comparable scale and free-entry community-farming model to Bath City Farm.

Broad incumbents

• Avon Wildlife Trust: The local wildlife trust for the Bath/Bristol area operates nature reserves and runs educational and community engagement programmes across multiple sites, partly overlapping with Bath City Farm's ecological, educational and volunteer activities at a wider geographic scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bathcityfarm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzxkqB3GRSgdnxb7N3aFBow
• Facebookfacebook.com/BathCityFarm
• Instagraminstagram.com/bathcityfarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bath-city-farm-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bath City Farm