The Barn, near the Bristol Road entrance to Manor Farm Park, was destroyed beyond repair by an arson attack shortly before 3.00am on Monday 31st July. Although we are devastated by the destruction of the nineteenth century Cadbury Barn, the Friends and our partners on the group which has been working to restore it have not given up hope of achieving our vision for Manor Farm Park.

This tragedy is a set back to the plans and progress we had already made, but we are still determined to create a multi-use community meeting place with a café and toilets and to improve Manor Farm Park for the benefit of users and the local community.

Our vision, to have a focal point in the park which will attract more visitors, remains unchanged. However, we now have the opportunity to design a purpose-built facility to carry on the legacy of George and Elizabeth Cadbury, subject to securing major funding, which to some extent could reflect the characteristic look of the original Cadbury Barn.

We are a small group and have limited funds; seeking people’s views and redesigning the plans will take time and money. Donations from supporters will help us with this and take the planning forward to develop the remaining buildings and the rest of the site in order to make visiting the beautiful Manor Farm Park an even more rewarding experience.

Your donation, however small, will help us to set out options for the Barn site at consultation events at local venues including Shenley Court Hall, St David's Church and the new community hub 'Our Place and Space' in Northfield over the next couple of months. That will mean we can collect local people's ideas on how best we can now develop the park and continue the Cadbury legacy. We will also be gathering your memories of the Cadbury Barn at these events.

You can follow our work on Facebook “Friends of Manor Farm Park” (please share with your friends) and our website, http://www.friendsofmanorfarmpark.org.uk/. You can contact us at Barn.justgiving@Friendsofmanorfarmpark.org.uk and if you have stories or photos of the Barn and park contact us at Barn.stories@Friendsofmanorfarmpark.org.uk