Meanwood Valley Urban Farm was founded in 1980 to bring a rural experience to urban residents.
We have always been a working farm, where visitors can come to see a variety of animals and gain a greater understanding of where their food comes from.
Set up as a result of the City Farm movement, the Farm had humble beginnings. Visitors in the early days were welcomed by a blank canvas – an unused space near Leeds city centre with a few animals and a caravan-turned-office.
Over time, the Farm became more established, with animals buildings, a market garden, poly-tunnels, and an expanding team of staff and volunteers.
By the end of the 1980s, there was a barn, farmer’s office and small visitor centre.
As well as development of the visitor experience, the Farm’s educational and environmental work was well established by the early 90s.
Our care for the environment led to the creation of an eco-friendly visitor centre, the EpiCentre, for the millennium.
Since 2000, the Farm has taken on a number of new areas and made improvements to existing ones. Alan Titchmarsh officially opened our small animals area opposite the cafe, and HRH The Prince of Wales visited a few years after his contribution to the EpiCentre.
2020 signalled new challenges in the form of Covid-19. At a time when the Farm was supposed to be celebrating our 40th anniversary, we have been fighting for our existence, only surviving due to the support of the public and generous grants.
40 years on from the caravan and sparse fields of 1980, visitors to Meanwood Valley Urban Farm today see flourishing nature areas, neat market gardens, sculptures, and of course our wide variety of animals, from alpacas and turtles to sheep and cows.
