Tours and tastings will add a farm angle to community watercress festival that helps raise funds for local charity supporting young people with cancer
The Watercress Company is offering free farm tours as part of an annual community watercress festival where visitors can learn how the crop is grown, its health benefits and history.
Taking place at its Manor Farm site on 17 May, tours will include demonstrations of specialist equipment, while refreshments will include watercress smoothies, hummus and savoury ‘cresto’.
Any funds raised from the day will go towards Abby’s Heroes, the charity supported by Alresford Watercress Festival.
The charity supports young people and their families at the Piam Brown Ward and the Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) oncology wards at Southampton General Hospital.
It was set up and named after Abby Randall who died of cancer in May 2016, aged eight years old.
“Last year 5,000 bags of watercress were donated by the watercress industry and simply through donations in exchange for a bag we raised a phenomenal amount of money. We can’t thank the festival enough,” said Sally Randall, CEO and founder of Abby’s Heroes.
MD of The Watercress Company, Tom Amery, said: “We will of course be donating the 5,000 bags of watercress but we hope that by opening the farm for parking and donating the money raised from that to Abby’s Heroes, together with donations for tours and sales of pesto and hummus we can really push towards that £10k figure.
“The farm activity will add a new dimension to the festival and allow those who want to better understand this amazing plant, how it grows, its history and its health benefits the chance to do so while enjoying the calm of the farm.”
The Alresford Watercress Festival has raised nearly £20,000 for Abby’s Heroes since 2022.
