Veg boxes Similar to last year, our veg box scheme continues to grow incrementally, expanding in both in area and flexibility. We still provide smaller sized veg boxes for single people living on their own, at an affordable cost but we now also offer a bespoke build-your-own box to reduce potential food wastage. This has proved really popular and has encouraged some new customers to join the scheme who may have food intolerances. We have built strong relationships with our customers which, in many cases, provides reassurance and social interaction for many of those who are older or more isolated. We check that they are ok, how their week has been and offer practical assistance on the doorstep if something needs moving or they just want a quick chat. Other Selling Activities We now attend four local Farmers Markets, held monthly in the local area to broaden our profile and to seek out new veg box scheme members. Local residents appreciate the opportunity to purchase goods direct from the provider and many are older, so are limited in some opportunities to travel. We have established a presence and relationships with many new customers in these towns. Income is variable and markets have become tougher environments as people seek to manage the cost-of-living. Our partnership with Good Food Oxford is up-and-running. We were awarded grant funding to install a 40ft climate-controlled shipping container so that we could develop a local Microgreens offer for Oxford University Chefs. Good Food Oxford is a network established to bring together local organic growers with County-wide food and hospitality businesses to improve the take-up of locally grown produce. Our container space is fully employed and provides year-round microgreens of numerous varieties for chefs. It also forms part of our STEM teaching programme where we discuss the future of farming and the ability to grow food where people live. Volunteer hours Our volunteer hours were reduced slightly in the past twelve months due to illness and competing priorities. Our continued philosophy is that we engage with individuals by including them in our weekly working commitments so that they feel included, valued and useful to the business. We have learnt that this elicits more mutual reward than tasks created specifically for the purposes of individual engagement. The individual gains an insight into our commercial aspirations, a healthy working environment outdoors and a period of time engaging with nature. All of this has both mental and physical health benefits. The scope and extent of the physical exercise required is carefully managed to the capabilities of the individual. Last year we adapted our support for the local community due to increased sales and less surplus produce. We have continued to donate hours to the Community Larder scheme operated by a local charity organisation. We have a large vehicle so we can provide the collection and sorting of surplus food donated daily by local supermarkets. This scheme supports a lot of local people who are struggling with the pressures of life and need a helping hand with food and other essential items. Improvements to Infrastructure Over the last couple of years we secured grant funding for the microgreens container and for the installation of Solar PV and Solar Batteries. Both have been successful integrated into the running of the business. Our philosophy of seeking grant assistance is to find means of addressing infrastructure needs and capital investment rather than revenue support. As such, we were successful this year in securing additional grant funding to insolate our microgreens container to reduce the power usage required to maintain a constant internal temperature. Our project is slightly more ambitious in that we are insulating our container with a green and blue roof system introducing greater floral diversity and an ability to harvest rainwater. This project will complete in late 2027. Primary school STEM programme Our primary (KS2) school visit programme has continued, incorporating STEM teaching linked to horticulture and aquaponics production. The challenge with this programme is financial affordability as schools are struggling to afford the rising costs of coach hire which can be as much as £500 for a 40-seater vehicle for one class and accompanying adults. Our ethos is that every child should learn how to grow their own food. We combine our teaching on growing food with elements of food ethics and gut health and look to recent Government White Paper discussions about the future of farming and the ability to grow food where people live. Feedback from visits is again positive and we continue to have repeat visits from individual schools. We also act on suggestions for additional content. Our new element focusing on gut health, in line with the growing research on this subject, proves popular. This is linked strongly to our fresh produce activities and microgreens growing.

We continue to talk extensively to our customers – predominantly face-to face when we deliver or at Farmers’ Markets. This provides honest feedback and a useful dialogue with which to sustain and build our business. We also pick up new veg box scheme members by recommendation only – which is indicative of satisfaction with our service. For the last two years we have taken space in the education tent at Newbury Show, interacting with thousands of members of the public with an interest in farming and the land. Many of these include teachers, parents and growers, so it is a good opportunity to test our emerging ideas about STEM teaching and to gauge enthusiasm for our subject matter. We have been well received in both years and have looked to incorporate feedback that we receive. Children are always refreshingly honest and particularly outside of a school environment so this is always a useful opportunity to engage.

There were no other transactions or arrangements in connection with the remuneration of directors, or compensation for director’s loss of office, which require to be disclosed.

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration