Farm fighting back after £20,000 storm damage

A farming organisation said it would not let damage caused by Storm Goretti "finish" its work.

Soul Farm said its site in Flushing, near Falmouth in Cornwall, had about £20,000 worth of damage caused on 8 January as the storm's 99mph (159km/h) winds destroyed five tunnels it uses to grow vegetables.

The farm, a community benefit society which provides food boxes with organic produce, has said it needs to raise £10,000 to help cover the loss of winter and spring crops.

Abi Gwynn, the farm's operations manager, said the site was in a "shocking" state after the storm blew through, but the team was determined to keep going.

Produce grown at the farm, run by a mix of paid staff and volunteers, is put into food boxes to give people better access to organic fruit and vegetables.

The organisation also runs a farmers' market and provides produce for restaurants and shops.

Gwynn said each of the destroyed tunnels – used to grow produce including watercress, spinach and mustard greens - was "essential" for the farm's winter crops.

"But the storm decided it had other ideas and basically destroyed them all," he said.

"It blew the plastic off, ripped them up and crumpled the steel poles like they were pipe cleaners.

"It's unlike anything we've seen before and it now means we're seriously lacking in our protected cropping space which is essential for our winter income."

Gwynn said she had seen photos of the damage caused, but it was much worse when she arrived at the scene.

"I cannot imagine the force which had hit it," she said.

"As we were cleaning up I was thinking 'what must it have looked like on Thursday night?'.

"It must have been carnage, it would have been terrifying."

She added the response since the storm had been "overwhelming and touching" and the team was determined to carry on with its work.

"It's not an easy job and not a very glamorous job, but we love what we do," she said.

"I'm optimistic and quite stubborn, so I won't let this finish us."

Mike Westley, a volunteer at the farm, said the damage was devastating and looked like "Meccano and plastic" had been blown everywhere.

He said the spirit of the team was evident and demonstrated how passionate the team was.

"We're all about combating food poverty and about getting vegetables and fresh food to people who perhaps couldn't afford it," he said.

"All of those implications together with the heartbreaking news for the people who have worked on this project for many, many years was a devastating blow."

Fellow volunteer Sarah Pethybridge said the reaction after the storm was "heartening".

She added: "You suddenly realise how brilliant human beings can be. They can be amazing when they help each other and it raises your belief in humanity."

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