Oxford City Farm is taking its work to a wider audience after a specially branded bus began showcasing the East Oxford charity as part of an advertising package worth £20,000.
The community farm was named runner-up in Oxford Bus Company’s 2026 Brand the Bus competition, securing a combination of on-bus and digital advertising, alongside a three-month campaign with local radio station Get Radio.
The package is intended to raise awareness of the charity across Oxfordshire, highlighting its work connecting people with farming, animals and nature while improving access to fresh, nutritious and affordable food.
Trustees and volunteers from Oxford City Farm visited Oxford Bus Company’s Cowley depot for the unveiling of the bus advertisement.
“Oxford City Farm provides an accessible, inclusive and unique way to connect with nature in an urban setting,” said Cath Wilson, the charity’s co-chair.
“We grow communities as well as food and many who come to the Farm say how vital it is to their wellbeing.”
The charity also provides opportunities to learn about sustainable food production, take part in farming activities and volunteer in areas including animal care. Its work includes efforts to reduce food waste through sustainable farming practices.
From derelict site to community resource
Plans for Oxford City Farm began around 2008, when volunteers started reclaiming a derelict site on Cornwallis Road in East Oxford. Crops were subsequently grown there, and the charity secured a 40-year lease in 2016.
The farm repurposed its main building from a former local school and opened a community kitchen in 2021. Its activities expanded after the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has since developed into a community resource centred on food, nature and volunteering.
Wilson said the advertising opportunity would help the charity share its work across the county.
Brand the Bus is now in its eighth year. This year’s competition attracted 71 entries, with close to 9,000 public votes cast in April before a panel of experts selected the winner and runner-up from a shortlist of 10.
Oxford City Farm was awarded the runner-up package, while Sobell House Hospice was named the 2026 winner. The hospice, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care.
Read more: Sobell House-branded bus unveiled in Oxfordshire after £100,000 Brand the Bus win
Oxford City Farm will work with Brand the Bus partners Get Radio and Oxford City Football Club as part of the initiative.
For the charity, the campaign offers a way to introduce its work to people who may not otherwise encounter the farm, extending the reach of a community project established through years of local volunteering.
