Based on a 43-acre organic farm near Glastonbury, we help people to reconnect with the natural world and learn about organic growing, rural skills and sustainability. We particularly work with disadvantaged groups.
Youth Groups
We ho
st residentials for youth groups from some of the UK's most deprived urban areas, giving them a taste of rural life and a chance to connect with the natural world. Most of the young people who stay with us come from very challenging backgrounds; many have never seen starry night skies, splashed in muddy puddles or eaten an apple straight from the tree, and some have never even left the city.
Staying at the Farm can be life-changing for these young people. Many are from BAME communities, who are statistically the least likely to access nature.
We provide a welcoming, safe environment in which they are encouraged to explore, to try new things and to take part in seasonal farm work. Many youth groups come back year after year - often it's the highlight of the year, and they never want to leave!
Community Activities
We also host regular community volunteer days. Participants help in our organic vegetable garden or out on the wider farm, before coming together for a tasty home-cooked lunch, made with our own organic produce.
Many of those who volunteer with us are experiencing mental health problems,
and around half have additional support needs. These issues worsened significantly during lockdown. We strive to create a nurturing environment where people can take part at the level that best suits them.
In addition, we host rural craft workshops and community events, a very popular family festival, forest school sessions, plus work experience and Duke of Edinburgh Award placements.
And we grow organic fruit and vegetables which we sell in Glastonbury’s weekly market, helping the whole community access healthy, sustainable food.
Our project
We’re seeking funding to install solar panels at the farm. Currently, around 15% of our expenditure goes on energy, and this is set to rise. Solar panels will help us generate our own power, minimise our carbon footprint and reduce our energy bills. This will mean we can better focus our resources on maintaining the farm, looking after our animals and, of course, supporting disadvantaged young people and communities.
We’ve been awarded £7,000 in grants towards this project, but we need a further £23,000 to cover the purchase and installation of the solar panels.
Thank you for reading about our project. Please help us if you can.