At Farms for City Children we were planning a complete overhaul of our drainage system, and needed advice on the best routes to take and possible impacts on our established reed beds. Fit for the Future linked us up with fellow members the WWT who volunteered several hours of their time to visit the site and offer advice for free. As a result, Farms for City Children have made important design changes to the plans that the surveyors wouldn’t have been aware were needed. This has saved us several thousand pounds in consultancy fees as well as ensuring we don’t come across difficulties later on.

Conversations with other Network members, such as the Field Studies Council, have also given us the confidence to incorporate environmental issues in our new strategic plan. Advice has altered our approach and ensured that rather than heading straight for renewable technology, we have started to put in place the right framework for actioning sustainability. The new strategy has a strong green theme running through it.

Dean Holland, Acting Chief Executive, Farms for City Children