IT MAY have sounded a bit wet, but an electric idea by these farming friends created a surge of interest.

A £12,000 crowdfunding campaign by Oxford City Farm to help get water and electricity on site has smashed its target.

A total of 226 farm fans donated more than £13,500 in just two months and, with Gift Aid, the total might still reach £14,000.

The growing group now will be able to start plumbing in proper toilets and handwashing facilities by the end of the year.

It also means they will eventually be able to open a farm shop on site, selling their delicious, fresh produce right where it is grown.

The Cornwallis Road crew, who launched the appeal in June after signing a lease on their site in January, said they were 'thrilled'.

Chairman and founder Lucie Mayer, a mum-of-two who works as a nurse at Helen and Douglas House children's hospice, said: "This is an incredible sum.

"By enabling us to get water and electricity on site it has hugely positive implications for the long-term future of the farm.

"It also shows the fantastic support we have in the community and will certainly help us with accessing other pots of funding in the future."

This summer, the farm has been hosting several pigs from Coopers Oxford Pork near Didcot, but having water pumped on site will allow it to keep animals permanently.

Toilets and handwashing facilities for staff and volunteers and electricity for lighting and computers will also make the project more viable.

Ms Mayer said: "Water and electricity are essential building blocks to us achieving the vision of a fully-functioning farm, producing fresh local food and involving the community in hands-on opportunities to learn and grow together."

As if that wasn't enough, the city farm has also this month won £10,000 from the National Lottery Awards for All pot, £5,000 from Tesco's Bags of Help scheme and a £4,850 grant from Thames Water.

These funds will go towards a wood-fired outdoor kitchen and covered seating area and a toilet block, once the water is connected.

Ms Mayer added: "The combination of toilets and the outdoor kitchen and seating area will transform the site, making it a much more attractive place for volunteers and others to visit and enabling us to run courses and facilitate visits from schools and other groups."

The farm will be running workshops to get new and existing volunteers involved in the build in the coming months.

In the meantime, Ms Mayer said: "Many of us are now going off for a well-earned break over the rest of August.

"We look forward to returning to the project refreshed and full of energy to take the city farm to the next level."

The group will hold its next work party on Saturday, September 9, from 10am to 2pm.

On Saturday, October 7, to celebrate a summer of successes, the farm is hosting a mini-festival with music food and other 'farm fun'.

More details will be announced in due course.