A popular urban farm’s future looks secure after it won a charitable cash boost for its project to provide locally-produced food for the community.

Deen City Farm, in Merton Abbey Mills, has received more than £100,000 from Local Food, as part of a £57.5 million programme supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

The Colliers Wood farm runs environmental education projects and is home to a horse-riding school and hundreds of other animals.

Louisa Loakes, the farm’s growing gardens project’s manager, said it would use the money to create a local food hub to connect local residents and encourage them to engage in cultivating their own food.

She added it hoped to provide “a free, stimulating and green oasis offering a safe and enjoyable learning environment for everyone”.

The donation comes as a huge boost for the registered charity, after its future was plunged into doubt in 2010 when Merton Council threatened to progressively slash its annual grant by £45,000.

The farm currently receives £116,000 a year from the council and its total turnover is about £400,000 – with other income coming through donations, additional grants and charges for services like the farm’s cafe and riding school.

Mark Wheddon, of Local Food, said: “Projects like this have a wide and lasting impact on the community and we are delighted to support them.

“Our scheme is about promoting the benefits of locally-grown food, and this project demonstrates how these can stretch far beyond simply eating more healthily, to giving people new skills, new confidence and a closer connection with their local community.”

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