Heeley City Farm

Sorry I have been a bit lax with updating, real life keeps getting in the way!

This post is about Heeley City Farm which is, as the name suggests, a city farm just off the centre of Sheffield.

It came into life 30 years ago when a row of terraced houses in the Heeley area of Sheffield was knocked down to make way for a new ringroad. But, thanks to the protests of local people, the ringroad was never built. This was an excellent win for local residents but left the problem of what to do with the wasteland. This was how Heeley City Farm was born, they built the farm on the site and since then it has grown in strength.

I volunteered as a publicity assistant for the farm in my last year of university, which involved, among other duties, writing articles for local publications. There are so many different aspects to Heeley City Farm that it was hard to narrow down what they do into just a few articles. As well as being a working farm with several animals, including rare breeds, they are also home to the South Yorkshire Energy Centre which provides free information on saving energy in your home. The farm also implements work experience programmes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and adults with learning difficulties, helping approximately 2,000 people a year. They have a full events calendar, including their Summer and Winter Festivals which showcase local talent.

They do all this and more and a trip to the farm is really worth it, especially as entrance is FREE.
So here's a bit of shameless promotion: if you are in Sheffield go to Heeley City Farm NOW!

If you're not in Sheffield take a look at their website www.heeleyfarm.org.uk

Here are a few of my articles on the farm:
http://issuu.com/shulife/docs/shulife_dec_2010_issue_online_pdf - This was for my university magazine SHU:Life, page 26.
http://nowthenmagazine.com/issue-38/heeley-city-farm/ - This was in the May 2011 edition of Now Then Magazine, a free magazine in Sheffield.
http://victoria-richman.suite101.com/heeley-city-farm-bringing-green-to-the-steel-city-a390101 - My most recent article for Suite101 focused on the farm.

Thanks for looking.

Journalism Internship in Brasov, Romania.

Last summer I managed to combine two passions of mine, travel and writing, by undertaking a journalism internship in the Romanian city of Brasov.
The internship was a voluntary placement organised with the company Projects Abroad (www.projects-abroad.co.uk). I worked on The Village magazine, which promotes the real Romania to tourists and locals alike.

It was an amazing experience; I got to travel all over Transylvania, visit remote villages and meet inspiring people. I also had several articles published in the magazine. Unfortunately the English version is only available in print and not online, but I have written an account of my experience for the Projects Abroad website which can be found here: http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/why-projects-abroad/volunteer-stories/?content=journalism/romania/victoria-richman/
For any Romanian speakers, or any one who would like to look at some pretty pictures of Romanian scenery, then please visit the website: http://www.revista-satul.ro/