Larkrise Community Farm
Our objectives
Larkrise Community Farm is a social care farm based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Through activities related to farming and nature, we work with children and adults that have Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and/or social, emotional or mental health challenges (SEMH).
In small groups, our students work with our support workers doing various activities related to animal husbandry, horticulture, nature and land management. These activities can include keeping our animals' housing and environment clean and tidy, grooming, performing health checks, handling animals, and learning about animal behaviours and anatomy.
Our horticulture offering includes a polytunnel and student allotment, where a variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers are grown from seed. Our students choose what to grow, plant seeds, learn about the optimum conditions for growing, nurture the plants through the growing process, feeding, watering, transplanting, pruning and checking plants for their health.
As a working farm, some of our students also get involved with some tasks related to land and farm management, such as hedging, fencing and general maintenance.
Each of our students is individual and comes with their own background, needs and challenges. The benefits to our students are as wide-ranging and include an increase in self esteem and confidence, engagement in social interaction, improvement in motor skills, and gaining new skills. For many of the children that attend the farm, the school setting does not provide an environment conducive to their learning. In most cases, the farm prepares them to re-engage with a formal education setting. For some of the adults that attend the farm, we are the only place they visit on a regular basis.
Our students - both the children and adults - are part of our team and are treated with respect, dignity and care.
Our activities
Supporting children and adults with SEND and/or SEMH to be the best they can be through supported activities in the following areas:
- Animal husbandry and management
- Horticultural activities