Caring for Life

Caring for Life (CFL) is a Leeds-based Christian charity, set up in 1987 after several homeless men started to attend Leeds Reformed Baptist Church. In response, the church set up a charity to enable outreach to these needy people. The gift of a house enabled them to start a residential project for the most vulnerable young men. Crag House Farm, near Cookridge, was acquired as a base for daytime activity projects and now operates agricultural, horticultural, conservation, vehicle maintenance, art & craft and woodwork projects alongside adult literacy and office skills.

A friend took me to visit - on account of the fact that they now have a very attractive restaurant, The Granary, in a beautifully converted 17th century barn. We enjoyed a huge and delicious 'brunch' of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. There's also a lovely farm shop selling meat, cheese, vegetables and a vast range of mainly locally sourced 'high-end' food products, with gifts and cards as well. There is a garden centre selling plants raised in the farm's large greenhouses. Around the centre there is a nature trail and gardens. It was all very interesting and made for a most enjoyable morning's outing - and chance for a good catch-up with my friend, of course. It seems it's a secret known only to the cognoscenti and I had not heard of it before, though The Granary did get pretty busy as the morning wore on.