The Buchanan Trust was founded in 1918 for homeless war veterans by Robert Buchanan, who left the 700 acre estate in trust to provide employment and housing for those who had served their country and wanted a career in farming or were in need of assistance.
The Charity Commission advised the appointment of a new independent trustee, the Buchanan Trustee Company, which occurred in May 2016.
The charity owns 700 acres in a single block comprising 6 farms plus cottages, farmhouses and various sets of traditional and modern buildings that are being used to help veterans needing housing whilst learning new skills and gaining qualifications to help them gain employment. W offer jobs on our own farms to veterans as they become available.
Our aim is to create a national facility for former service men and women to live in a community that helps each other to grow, learn and work and then move on to integrate in the civilian workplace.
The 700 acres and associated buildings will be managed in-hand as a single farm building a brand for the food produced- some of which will be sold locally and also available for the residents.
Residential accommodation for 25-30 beneficiaries is being created by converting the farmhouses, cottages (save those needed for staff) and redundant agricultural buildings and let on “Almshouse” licences, with maintenance payments attracting Housing Benefit, for periods of 6 to 18 months before they return to civilian life. The flats will be in clusters around the estate farms in order to create a sense of community where veterans can support each other.
For the beneficiaries’ occupation and training, there will be a “working recovery farm”, with about 20 acres growing fruit and vegetables with small herds and flocks of well-handled livestock that will provide therapy through caring for the animals and plants. This will probably be provided in partnership with another charity with a track record of providing rehabilitative support. The farm will require staff for managing and reviewing the “individually centred support plans” for the beneficiaries.
More commercial skills will be learnt through on-estate courses for rural and construction sectors resulting in certificates that will help veterans gain jobs or give them the confidence to establish their own businesses. Some of these will be in commercial units being converted on the estate farms.
The large area of the estate allows a range of other activities to be planned where partner charities and funds permit. To date we have interest for a woodland skills therapy centre, an adventure training base that can use the valleys, stream, woods and open spaces we have- as well as nearby forestry, the Black Mountains and River Wye for canoeing and rafting and an equestrian centre with trekking around the estate.