Josh and Holly Eggleton to launch mobile 'farm bus'

Josh and Holly Eggleton’s the Pony Group is building an interactive ’farm bus’, complete with live chickens and hydroponics, that will tour the UK to drive understanding of how food is grown.

The pair are looking to raise £100,000 to convert a vintage double-decker bus into a mobile farm in spring 2025.

Once the bus is complete, it will tour schools, festivals and events around the UK, with the Pony team offering information on food origins, cooking, nutrition and sustainability practices. 

The bus will feature a live growing system, chickens, planters, a demonstration platform, kitchen, dining and picnic areas and a library of resources.

The Pony’s intention is to visit 25 schools a year, reaching 2,500 school children over the course of 2025.

Once a month, the group hopes to bring the bus to community groups and festivals to reach a diverse audience, working with charities and organisations such as the NHS.

To raise money to support the bus, the Eggleton’s have brought in chefs Angela Hartnett, Tom Kerridge, Sally Abé and Jude Kereama to host fundraising dinners at the recently-opened Pony in Chew Valley, Somerset.

The four chefs will collaborate with Josh to prepare and serve a six-course feast at the flagship restaurant using produce from the Pony Garden.

The series will launch with Tom Kerridge on 10 December 2024, followed by Sally Abé on 21 January 2025, Angela Hartnett on 4 February 2025 and Jude Kereama on 18 March 2025.

Tickets cost £130 including six courses and a welcome drink, with 80% of each ticket sale going towards the Farm Bus fund. All chefs are donating their time to the events, which will also be supported by volunteers from across the Pony Group. 

Josh said: “We understand that not everyone has access to one of our six sites, so it has been an idea of ours for ages to take our message and ethos on the road. We would love to see the bus busy and active, going out to the southwest and beyond; but as important as the issue of food education is, we also want to keep this fun.”

The Pony Group has also set up a Crowdfunder page for anyone who wishes to donate to the cause.

Holly won an Acorn Award in 2016.

Image: Ed Schofield