Care Farming

Fifteen years ago, a contact from our farm education officer with Croftlands, a local mental health charity, led to a group visiting the farm on a weekly basis. with the understanding that being outside and working would be beneficial.

These ‘beneficiaries’ became the first of many, some referred by friends or family, others by social services , who have come to the farm to benefit their mental and physical health.

Since then, our care farm has developed, and now we offer a weekly programme available on Mondays, Tuesday mornings or Fridays, supported by our care farm lead, Sam Foster. We are accredited by Social Farms and Gardens, holding a quality assurance certificate (the Green Care Quality Mark, formerly the Care Farming Code of Practice).

Samantha Foster leads our care farming. “I love people, animals, and farm life. I enjoy working with the care farmers, engaging with them, and working out the tasks for the day. “

 Sam’s job is to involve the care farmers in a variety of jobs around the farm. This could mean moving cattle or sheep, checking the health of our flock, or making sure the hens and geese are properly cared for. Sam plans the activities around the farming calendar, nature and the outdoors. Sam is also sharing her skills in our new tool shed, teaching care farmers how to use tools safely, building equipment for the farm or for sale. This group is also responsible for tending to the new raised beds, growing herbs, vegetables and fruit to cook with in our kitchen.

One of our main aims is to make sure that everyone who comes enjoys themselves and we spend a lot of time laughing.

Whether it's moving, feeding, checking stock, or getting stuck in with fencing and land management tasks, every day is different and there is never a dull moment on the farm!