Tablehurst Farm

The Tablehurst & Plaw Hatch Community Farm initiative was born in 1994. Tablehurst Farm (which was then owned by Emerson College) was in danger of being lost to biodynamic agriculture as the college could no longer support the farm and was considering selling it. A group of local people formed a community group around the farmers, Peter and Brigitte Brown and, following a major community fundraising drive, managed to buy the farm assets and acquire tenancy of the land. The Browns, together with farmers Alan and Bernie Jamieson and a management group of local people, built up the farm in the following years. This included converting and extending the farm house to a residential care home; this still provides a meaningful life experience for young people with disabilities, with the help of revenue from the local care service. The farm expanded by renting and farming land from a number of private local landowners. Many of the original shareholders are still very active members of the Coop, dedicating their invaluable time and skills for the benefit of all.

Old Plaw Hatch Farm

The ‘Industrial and Provident Society’ (known locally as 'The Coop'), which eventually became the owner of both farms, was founded in June 1996. At the time there was a clear intention to bring Old Plaw Hatch Farm into The Coop, in order to realise the agricultural community's objectives. After a successful public appeal for funds to buy Plaw Hatch Farm, launched in 1979 by St Anthony’s Trust, Plaw Hatch became an embryonic biodynamic agricultural community farm with 93 local community members. The transfer of the Plaw Hatch farm business to The Coop took place in 2001 after further fundraising initiatives by the local community. This meant that St Anthony’s Trust was no longer involved in the farming, although it retained ownership of the Plaw Hatch land.

Today both farms rent and farm land at Spring Hill Farm, Kidbrooke Farm, Chailey, Michael Hall and several other locations in and around Forest Row.

The new Rules

In 2021-2022, a comprehensive update of the Coop Rules was undertaken to recognise that, since the Coop was founded, the legal form ‘Industrial and Provident Society’ had been superseded. The Coop is now deemed to be a Registered Society and the new rules reflect this. The review process began at the 2021 AGM and was carried out by a working group of shareholders in early 2022. Draft rules, based on Cooperatives UK model rules, were adapted to suit the Coop needs, were approved by the Coop committee, and were presented to and approved by the 2022 AGM. They were approved by the Financial Conduct Authority FCA in March 2023. The process constituted a change to the rules, not a dissolution and replacement of the Coop as a legal entity.

The ownership and management structure of the farms is designed to ensure that the farms are safe for biodynamic and community farming in perpetuity:

• The buildings and most of the land used by the farms are owned by St Anthony’s Trust.

• The two farm businesses are owned by The Tablehurst and Plaw Hatch Registered Society (‘The Coop’) on behalf of over 800 shareholder members, mainly from the local community. The Coop Committee, elected annually at the September AGM from the shareholder base, sets the broad overall direction of the farm businesses and supports farm projects.

• Each farm is a limited company in its own right and the direction and day-to-day management of the farms is undertaken by the farms’ own boards of directors and management teams.