In an idyllic setting with a range of opportunities for work experience, this project has a history of successfully supporting vulnerable people to develop new skills, meet new people, and think about the next phase of their development in a nurturing and therapeutic environment. The project produces a range of vegetables and plants, an area which we are developing in order to build the sustainability of the project. The project has environmental sustainability at its heart, and uses environmentally friendly fertiliser, composting and has a wind turbine to generate electricity. It was the winner of the BIFFA Community Award in 2003 for its work in this area.

Training Opportunities
The project trains disadvantaged adults and some younger people with a learning difficulty although the project is now more generally inclusive, in entry-level/level 1 qualifications in horticulture and other related topics such as woodwork, construction, conservation, retail and preparing for work.

The project’s core working tasks are: developing and maintaining the main farm garden, growing plants for sale at the farm and other venues such as farmer's markets, rare plants fairs and local agricultural shows, and growing herbs and vegetables for Innovate Trust's catering enterprises. The wide range of tasks undertaken gives scope for covering a large number of training topics in the course of doing our everyday work. Much of the work that people undertake is therapeutic in nature, which makes this an ideal opportunity for people overcoming mental health problems.

We are affiliated to Thrive, a national charity which supports social and therapeutic horticultural projects such as ours, and are part of their ’Cultivating Quality’ quality assurance scheme. We now have official Organic status certified through the Soil Association which provides us with further training opportunities, and has enabled us to grow the enterprise by moving into supplying local restaurants with fresh organic vegetables. This is an area we wish to further develop.

To source plants/vegetables from this project please contact:
Sue Lamb