Maggie’s Story
Maggie Haynes
After serving in the Intelligence Corps for 21 years, followed by 5 years security consultancy Maggie decided that she wanted to pursue a project that had sustainability at its heart. With 2 young children she felt that she wanted to be able to make a difference in some way that might help towards climate change and become a small beacon of sustainability within the local area.
With an aim to teach children about the environment and grow food for the local community organically, in 2005 she set out converting a green pasture field in Southbourne, near Chichester, into an organic smallholding with the aim of teaching children about the environment and how to grow healthy food for the local community.
At the time she had no knowledge of how to grow fruit and vegetables but, with bags of motivation and a steely determination to succeed Tuppenny Barn is now an accredited education charity and a major provider of organic fruit and vegetables for the local community.
In addition to the learning opportunities for children, young people and the wider community, Tuppenny Barn also provides regular “green therapy” sessions for those with mild to moderate health conditions.
Tuppenny Barn are proud to be Soil Association Organic
members campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable
food, farming and land use.
Tuppenny Barn is a member of the Organic Growers Alliance which is a network of growers, farmers and horticulturalists. The OGA is a peer-to-peer support network run by growers for growers. As well, the OGA is a place to exchange information and learn and it represents its members.
