Press release
3 November 2025
Bright next chapter for Woodoaks Farm as £2.5m funding secured for Black Barn Project
The Soil Association Land Trust is celebrating exceeding its fundraising target for Woodoaks Farm’s Black Barn Project – a success made possible by the early support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Their delivery round grant of £1.78m was the crucial catalyst that unlocked a wave of further backing, inspiring extraordinary community crowdfunding and attracting investment from national charitable Trusts. With a total of £2.52m now secured, the project’s vision for many more people to experience farming, wildlife and real food on the edge of London is set to become a reality.
Funds raised will enable the Soil Association Land Trust to bring the historic, Grade II-listed Black Barn back into year-round use and to build a new, fully accessible community hub. The project will enable hands-on learning in nature, history, farming and food for school children, volunteers and local residents from Maple Cross, Watford and Rickmansworth and beyond, nurturing climate literacy, food skills and wellbeing for years to come.
A vibrant community space, ready for all seasons
Works over the next 12-18 months will create a Community & Education hub, a flexible, weather-proof space with a teaching kitchen, step-free access, and rooms that can host school visits, community activities, talks, film screenings and practical workshops all year round.
The Grade II listed Black Barn is a landmark steeped in farming heritage and until now has been open to the elements. The rediscovered diaries of Victorian farmer John White capture the working life of the local land in the 1800s, offering rare insight into the community and traditions that shaped Woodoaks. This funding is critical to safeguard the building and to share its stories while growing a living, local hub for food, farming, and nature.
Already a much-loved place to visit, whether for a coffee at the Tea Shack, a beer from the on-site taproom, Creative Juices Brewing Company, a dog walk, or a wander through acres of green space, the funding unlocks the next chapter of the historic site as work begins to build the new hub.
Rose Lewis, Woodoaks Manager, said: “At the heart of our plans is the 16th-century Black Barn – a powerful symbol of the farm’s history and a place for community, learning, and connection. The funding allows us to reimagine this space for people of all ages and abilities to explore heritage, from food growing and regenerative farming to seasonal traditions and improved conservation skills. Through this project, we’ll work hard to restore nature and landscape while staying true to our mission: reconnecting people to food, farming and nature. Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery players, the grants we received and our local community for making this possible.”
Powered by people who care
Woodoaks Farm, which straddles the M25, converted to organic management in 2024. With community volunteer support the team has already planted three kilometres of new hedgerows, with more planned, boosting wildlife corridors, soil health and landscape resilience.
The Black Barn Project will establish one of the UK’s very best outdoor classrooms and develop a curriculum-linked programme for primary and secondary schools. The aim is to empower teachers and students to make informed pro-climate, pro-nature and pro-health choices and to bring this learning home through the food they help grow and cook.
A win for biodiversity
Conservation efforts at Woodoaks Farm have already begun to shine, with the exciting discovery of a White-letter Hairstreak butterfly, a Red List species whose numbers have dramatically declined across the UK since the 1970s when food plants were reduced by Dutch Elm disease.
One of the volunteers, Suzanne said: “For the first time in my life after 40 years, I finally belong to a real community meeting loads of people who are passionate about nature the environment, conservation, where farming is going and Wildlife – and that’s what’s been really rewarding.”
Funding at a glance
This award is believed to be the largest grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund of its kind to a farm-based charity, recognising the unique role that working farms can play in heritage, education and community connection.
Liz Bates, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re pleased to support the Black Barn Project at Woodoaks Farm thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. By helping to conserve the historic barn and share traditions of farming and food, we’re helping the Soil Association Land Trust build a place where learning, wellbeing and community can grow together. We’re delighted to make this award as we celebrate the milestone of £2bn of National Lottery and other funding for projects across the Midlands & East of England.”
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Notes to editors
The Soil Association is a UK-wide sustainable food and farming charity which aims to protect nature by transforming how people eat and farm. Since 1946 the organisation has impacted millions of people, creating practical, nature-based solutions to recover climate, nature and health through sustainable and regenerative food, farming, and forestry. We promote the connection between people, food, and the natural world, lobbying government on key environmental policies, helping to serve millions of certified school meals with Food for Life, engaging thousands in farmer-led research with Innovative Farmers, and measuring the impact of sustainable farming with Soil Association Exchange.
Soil Association Limited is registered as a charity in England and Wales no. 206862 and as a charity in Scotland no. SC039168. Registered as a company no. 00409726.
The Soil Association Land Trust safeguards legacies of productive land, providing a safe haven and preventing land being lost from farming and growing. Land is donated by retiring farmers and landowners, often those with no dependents, who wish to see their life’s work continue into the future.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded a development grant of £201,392 to the Soil Association Land Trust in September 2023 to support planning and preparation work on the Black Barn project.
Following a successful application for full funding to deliver this project, the Heritage Fund awarded £1,780,736 in June 2025.
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Logos: Land Trust National Lottery Heritage Fund
