Care Farm UK Visit

Mark returned to Care Farm UK to learn more about their activities and to see first hand how the approach works. Accompanied by John Dover, Mark first visited a smallholding where newly released offenders and recovering drug users work hard on the local vegetable crops and tend the pigs, goats, chickens and turkeys.

This was followed by a visit to a similar set up, concentrating on the requirements of those with special education needs. Finally, a tour of a new smallholding, in the process of being constructed by excluded pupils finished off the tour.

In these cases, the care farms have been set up specifically to help a certain type of user, and the training received goes as far as packaging and marketing the goods produced, giving the service users a commercial experience. In other cases, fully commercial farms open their doors to service users.

“I was immensely impressed by what I saw at the Care Farms. Giving responsibility to people who’s live may have been chaotic is incredibly important and, crucially, gives people a clear sense of purpose and responsibility. The outcomes for service users appears to be very good and I am now a big fan of this initiative. Moreover, there are economic benefits to the wider economy as this type of rehabilitation (where appropriate) is more desirable than alternative and traditional measures.”