Grab a shovel

🌱 Big News from Uganda! 🌱

It’s been a while since I posted an update about the Young Farmers project in Uganda, and what a story this has become.

When I first started supporting Nuwagaba and his team, their dream was simple: to secure some land where they could grow their own food and become more self-sufficient. Thanks to an incredible fundraising effort—mostly driven by the young farmers themselves and their local supporters—they didn’t just talk about it. They made it happen.

They raised thousands of pounds and successfully purchased land for cultivation. 🚜🌾

Since then, they’ve continued to build on that success. They invested a small portion of their funds into poultry, buying chicks and equipment. Although they suffered some losses, as every farmer does sooner or later, the project still generated a profit and valuable experience.

Most recently, they raised funds to attend a four-day agricultural training programme at a regenerative farm. This is the update Nuwagaba shared with us after returning:

“We have been able to learn new farming techniques such as maggots and worm rearing, making liquid manure, saving water in dry seasons, and controlling pests and diseases in plants and birds without using chemicals. We also gained more knowledge about methods we were already familiar with. With such skills, we’re hoping to make greater changes in our community.”

I told him I wished I could have joined them. Honestly, it sounds like they learned more in four days than I have in several years! 🤩

One detail particularly caught my attention. They visited a farm using hydroponic towers fed with homemade liquid nutrients. According to Nuwagaba, the farmers mix chicken manure, cow dung and other local materials, soak them in water for several days, and use the resulting nutrient-rich liquid to feed the plants.

Whether you’re growing food in Uganda, Wales, or anywhere else, knowledge like this is powerful. The ability to produce more food with fewer resources can change lives, especially in communities where every harvest matters.

What impresses me most is not the land, the chickens, or even the training. It’s the attitude. These young people refuse to wait for someone else to solve their problems. They organise, learn, experiment, and keep moving forward despite setbacks.

I’m incredibly proud to have played a small part in this journey and even prouder of what they have achieved themselves. ❤️

If you’d like to support their next steps, you can follow and donate here:

👉 https://gofund.me/e052b7e0b

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project over the years. Every donation, share, comment, and word of encouragement helped make moments like this possible. 🌱🙏🌍

I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to support this success story 🤩
I hesitated to get another fundraising going when Nuwagaba first messaged me but very soon they proved me that they would be able to take it from my first steps.
The campaign achieved its goal, the young Ugandan farmers bought their land, a stable environment for their community.
Thank you to everyone involved 🙏🏻
Here’s what Nuwagaba published on GoFundMe:
“We Did It — We Own Land! *

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

Today, our hearts are full.

Because of YOU, *Fill the Empty Stomachs Farming Initiative officially owns land.*

Every donation, every share, every word of encouragement brought us here. From the £25 that started this dream to the big contributions that pushed us over the line — you made this possible.

*Here’s what your support did:*
On this day, May 6, 2026, we completed payment and received the land title. No more renting. No more uncertainty. We now have a permanent home to grow food, train families, and fight hunger for years to

This is not the end. It’s the beginning of something permanent”

I have been trying to give you some updates but I got so busy lately with changing jobs, starting a new business and many other private reasons…
In the meantime our guys in Uganda got some funding to finish education and some more to start their small business in agriculture. I can’t be more proud of how they effectively they deal with this opportunity. They only asked me to help set up the fundraising page and some initial support. Ever since then they have done the hard work to get the word out for financial support. They know the long term goal and how to get there: they don’t spend the money, they invest it 🤩
So excuse me not showing you any progress locally but I do believe they deserve a little help to get closer to their own land, to their dreams 😍

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-nuwagaba-to-empower-young-farmers

🇺🇬 Forwarding Nuwagaba’s message from Uganda:
Dear valued supporters.
Today has been a moment of joy and happiness when we received our last harvest from the land that we rented two years ago to feed the needy and shared it with the members of our society. It brought a smile on many people's faces with hearts full of sadness because this will be their last meal from FESTSFI.
Our sadness was temporary because we know that this is just the beginning because we believe that together we shall raise funds , buy our own land and create hope for those in need .

We don’t know how long it'll take to raise enough but what we're sure if is that we shall not giveup until it's done. Hope to receive your support through sharing further to your friends and other network and make our dream a reality.

https://gofund.me/e052b7e0b

🇺🇬 Sad day for our Uganda friends, who will have to find somewhere else to grow and feed their vulnerable families… 😓

A determined group who recently established an official nonprofit to access local support. They missed out on buying land, but they’re not giving up — they request funds only when needed for specific projects.
👉 Donate here: https://gofund.me/e052b7e0b

One hour FREE parking in Dog Lane car park!
…Okay, click-bait, but still technically true 🤓
What is also true is that one focused hour of volunteering can make a real difference, even if it feels small.

🍂 A few weeks ago, I cleared the leaves off the pavement by the castle on Corwen Road. It looked pointless at the time because the trees were still full and shedding nonstop.
But today, when I started over again, that section took only a few easy sweeps with my garden brush. The part I hadn’t done? I needed the shovel again — all the leaves compacted hard by foot traffic.

So yes — one hour really counts.
If you’ve got an hour, you can do this. It’s genuinely good exercise, which is one of my biggest motivations.
No shovel or tools? No problem — you can borrow soon through the Ruthin Library of Things, reopening again soon 🤩
Follow ReSource to find out when.

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Now, a small favour from me

I have two long-term fundraising projects close to my heart. If you can support either, it would mean a lot.

⸻

🇺🇬 1. Young Ugandan Farmers

They once had a chance to buy land for growing crops but missed it — the costs were simply too high.
But they never gave up. They’re full of ideas, active, and recently registered their own nonprofit organisation to access what little local support exists.

If you’d like to support them, donate here:
👉 https://gofund.me/e052b7e0b

Trust notes:
• Nuwagaba has actually raised far more than I ever managed — their determination is incredible.
• They only request funds from me when needed for a specific purpose (the last one was legal fees for establishing the nonprofit).

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🇰🇪 2. Lucy’s Children Institute — Kenya

This community carries a huge responsibility: feeding children and families with almost no income.
The kids often need shoes, school fees, basic essentials… and the community grows food while struggling with extremely limited resources.

If you’d like to help them, donate here:
👉 https://gofund.me/3ec2e821

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Thank you

If you’ve read this far — you honestly deserve a pint 🍻
Any questions or concerns, just comment or message me. Happy to chat.

still life 🍂
I’m still alife 🤭