Knowle West community farm to close

A community farm in Knowle West that is home to 75 animals, including 12 turkeys, a couple of goats, and a pig called Jess, is set to close this month.

Andy’s Haven has been run by local resident Andy Moseley for 12 years and is part of The Park, a community centre in Knowle West. But with The Park being redeveloped, Andy, 67, has decided that now is a good time to retire.

A new building for The Park is currently being built next to its existing one in Daventry Road. When this is completed by the end of the year, the old building will be demolished and replaced with a new secondary school by approximately the end of 2023.

The Park had hoped that Andy’s Haven would move to its new building. But Andy says that the space he’s been offered is not suitable; its proximity to the proposed school means that he can’t guarantee the safety of his animals.

“It’d all be fenced off, but the kids could just chuck bricks in it and poke the animals,” he says.

“I love The Park, but I’ve got to think of the animals’ welfare, and I’m not going to have them put through torture.”

Andy Moseley, who has run Andy’s Haven at The Park in Knowle West for the last 12 years, is retiring from farming. Photo by Charlie Watts

The animals at Andy’s Haven, which also include chickens, ducks and geese, will now be going to new homes in the next few weeks. The farm will then be dismantled.

“I’ve made sure the homes are safe homes,” adds Andy. “Somebody’s going to look after them and care for them.

“Once the animals go, I’ll retire, but I will still come back and do the grounds for The Park because they’ve been brilliant to me.”

Emma Hinton, director of The Park, says the charity is very sad that Andy’s farm will be closing.

She says: “Andy and his farm have been an integral part of The Park for many years, and he has brought much enjoyment to many people. However, we support Andy’s decision to close and will help him in any way we can.”

Andy’s decided that his farm won’t be part of The Park redevelopment, which is due to be completed by the end of the year. Photo by Charlie Watts

Andy will be taking some of the animals at the farm, including his goats Molly and Roly, to live in his back garden in Knowle West.

One animal Andy can’t take home with him though is Jess the pig, who was rescued from someone who bought her as a piglet, thinking she was a micropig.

“She would break out of my garden and I don’t think my neighbours would be too pleased with that,” explains Andy.

“The kids love Jess because she’s like a little dog: she’ll roll over and let you scratch her belly.

“All she does really is eat and sleep, but as long as you’ve got food in your hand, she’s happy.”

The 75 animals at the farm will be going to new homes in the next few weeks, with some going to live in Andy’s back garden in Knowle West. Photo by Charlie Watts

When Andy first took the farm over in 2009, it had nothing but a polytunnel. He rescued some battery hens and things escalated from there.

“When The Park allowed me to take this place over, it was like a dream come true,” he says. “I had animals to look after, and the more I rescued, the happier I got.”

One animal that was very special to Andy who he rescued and lived at the farm was Kurk the turkey, who passed away last year.

“He used to follow me around like a dog, but attack everyone else,” says Andy. “I used to take him home with me at Christmas time, just so he wouldn’t get killed.” Andy once even slept at the farm over Christmas, after someone tried to break in to steal his turkeys.

He also spent the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic living there: “I didn’t want to get ill because nobody would be able to look after the animals if I became ill.”

Andy is at the farm every day and can spend up to 16 hours a day there in the summer. He also sells veg, plants and eggs to the community in the summer, which is the only source of funding for the farm.

When he retires, Andy has lots of gardening and decorating to do. “I’m not a person to retire and then just sit at home because that would kill me,” he says. “I want to work as much as I can up until I die.”

Before being on the farm, Andy had done factory, warehouse and shop work, but his passion has always been looking after animals.

“I used to rescue animals when I was a kid,” he recalls. “My mother always used to say I’d rescue them before they were lost.

“I just don’t see why any animals should be hurt.”

Andy’s retirement begins when his animals leave the farm in the next few weeks. The farm will then close, but Andy will remain a volunteer for The Park for the foreseeable future.

Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media 

Main photo by Charlie Watts

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