Darts Farm in Topsham provide Christmas feast boxes for local community

Topsham-based Darts Farm is working with Exeter Foodbank and seven-year-old schoolgirl Sienna Littley to provide 70 Christmas feast boxes to local families that need it most this festive season. Sienna has raised £2,100 from selling her homemade ceramic Christmas decorations and the team at Darts Farm have match-funded this with some help from customer donations and supplier gifts to bring the total to £4,200. Michael Dart, Director of Darts Farm, tells us: "We have been working closely with Exeter Foodbank all year, delivering 160 Easter tuck boxes during the lockdowns, so being able to support them over the Christmas period really does finish the year! We think what Sienna has done is incredible; a very inspiring young lady!"

He continues, "The boxes will contain everything that's needed for the big day including some delicious turkey from our Master Butchers, fresh veggies from the fields, clementines, cranberry sauce, Quicke's cheese, Ryder's Bakery mince pies and a bottle of Luscombe's Elderflower Bubbly. We really hope these boxes will send some festive cheer to local families who have been struggling through this tough time."

Sienna's Mum, Sarah Littley, adds: "Sienna and I are delighted that our local, family-run farm shop, Darts Farm, is on board with this brilliant initiative. Sienna has been busy over the past six weeks making her rainbow design decorations with an initial aim of selling 500 but she smashed that target selling over 1703! We're so grateful to all those who supported her by purchasing her decorations and for Darts Farm, their customers and suppliers who matched her donation. It's wonderful to end the year on such a positive."

Darts Farm can be found overlooking the beautiful Clyst Valley in the picturesque town of Topsham, near Clyst St George, on the outskirts of Exeter in Devon (EX3 0QH) and provides a fun day out for those honeymooning closer to home this year. Over the summer months, visitors were drawn to the farm's vibrant yellow fields of pick-your-own sunflowers. These positive and cheerful flowers raised a total of £6,542 for Darts Farm's chosen local charity, Hospiscare, with a running total of £38,554.75 raised over the past 13 years. Customers also enjoyed wandering around the on-site giant 'Maize Maze' puzzle, and raised £3,250 for Estuary League of Friends; a brilliant local charity which looks after the elderly and vulnerable in the community.

Over the past 25 years Darts Farm has been continually evolving to become one of the most exciting shopping experiences in the South West. Darts Farm remains a family business run by the Dart brothers; the retail looked after by Michael and James and the farm headed up by Paul. The business is, at its core, still a working farm, and sells all of its home-grown produce directly through the farm shop, ideal for micro weddings and self-catering minimoons and holiday stays in the region.

Further information visit www.dartsfarm.co.uk or call 01392 878205 and for further information about Exeter Foodbank visit www.exeter.foodbank.org.uk