A much-anticipated festival in Oxford has been cancelled following days of severe flooding.
Oxford City Farm has been significantly impacted by flooding following an unprecedented 90mm of rainfall in just 24 hours.
This forced the decision to cancel this year's Autumn Festival as the charity experienced surface-level flooding that damaged planting beds with around 725kg of produce lost, worth £4,200.
With September’s average rainfall usually around 51mm, this sudden deluge caught the community-led farm by surprise, overwhelming the local drainage system and causing widespread disruption.
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Nicole Titera, farm lead at Oxford City Farm, said: "Our fields were submerged, and much of the produce we rely on to support local community projects was destroyed.
“We've been left with a significant financial burden, and our priority now is to rebuild and recover."
Oxford City Farm is a charity that connects people with food, farming, and nature through a variety of programmes, including workshops, volunteer opportunities, and events.
All proceeds from the farm's produce and activities support its free community provision and the festival plays a key role in fundraising.
But the team have now had to cancel the Autumn Festival which typically draws hundreds of visitors.
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"It’s heart-breaking to cancel the festival," Ms Titera added.
"With further rain and high winds forecasted we cannot risk compromising the safety of our staff and visitors at such a large event.
“We will be refocusing resources and time on replanting the north beds to minimise the impact on our spring harvest and ensure we can continue to provide for the community.
"We have been heartened by the outpouring of community support to help clear up the site.”
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