ST WERBURGHS CITY FARM

Since the Farm first opened its doors in 1980, we have developed to meet local needs, working with and for our local communities and providing a broad range of projects and targeted services alongside freely accessible sites. There are a variety of referral routes and ways to get involved, including social prescribing, outreach, volunteering or funded placements.  Our targeted services include: 

• Supported Training: opportunities for up to 30 adults with learning disabilities to engage in therapeutic outdoor opportunities in horticulture and animal care.  
• Child and Youth: opportunities for all ages, from parents and toddlers to our Work2Learn placements for secondary school pupils that are struggling in mainstream education. We run referral-only summer camps and over the lockdowns offered free, exclusive use of our sites to families that didn’t have access to safe outdoor space. 
• 18-25 Social Action: reaching out to young people that are experiencing disconnection and loneliness, and engaging them in the co-design of their project.  
• Volunteering and Wellbeing: working with Social Prescribing teams to engage adults experiencing disadvantage in activities that increase health and wellbeing, reduce social isolation, improve skills and interests whilst helping to care for our green spaces.   

We offered services at a reduced level throughout 2021/22, targeting our work at those most in need. Despite these restrictions, we worked with 986 direct and 5,658 in-direct beneficiaries.   

Our mission is to strengthen the connections between nature, animals, land and people. We bring people together to grow, cook and feast together, celebrating different communities in what we grow and eat. We are a space for our community to enjoy, explore and celebrate. We have three main strands in our work:

Increasing equitable access to nature and green space  

The importance of equitable access to green space for community wellbeing has been emphasised over the pandemic. We offer free access to our Farm and Community Garden year-round and are working with our community to ensure our sites are as accessible, inclusive and welcoming as possible. 

Supporting Community Mental Health through Nature Connection 

In 2022, supporting community mental health is more important than ever. The effects of the pandemic, increased isolation and anxiety, and ongoing uncertainty mean that mental health was labelled “the next pandemic” in a recent report (Designing a New Social Reality, 2021). Our services allow our participants a space to breathe, relax and connect with nature, themselves and each other. There is increasing evidence about the positive impact nature has for depression and anxiety, as well as improving sleep and reducing stress, increasing happiness and reducing negative emotions.  

Increasing skills, confidence and access to opportunity 

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to develop skills and experience in a supportive environment. We offer practical experiences and opportunities for people of all ages to learn land-based skills in an informal setting that allows everyone to thrive.  

What participants say about the Farm:

“Coming to the Farm rejuvenates my energy and makes me feel more energetic and excited about life. It has given me confidence in my ability to do practical tasks which I completely lacked before doing this, which has expanded my confidence in the other areas of my life too.”      

“I’ve learned good skills, and it improved my mood a lot every week. I’ve been having an especially bad time with my mental health recently, but having this every Monday has been really helpful, giving me something to look forward to and starting off the week well” 

However, now we need your help. Over the pandemic, we invested over