Shropshire Council pleased to support care farming project

Shropshire Council is pleased to support a new care farming project at Fordhall Organic Farm, a community owned farm on the outskirts of Market Drayton.

The project was previously funded through the Big Lottery Local Food fund, but when funding came to an end in March 2014, it had to become financially sustainable to continue.

Since then, the council has been working with the team at Fordhall to secure a future for this valuable facility.

It has recently welcomed a group of four adults with learning difficulties who now attend the farm’s community garden on a weekly basis.

The care farming project based at the farm provides support for the group to build their confidence, self-esteem and their connections with the wider community.

Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult services – transformation and safeguarding, said:

“I am pleased that we have been able to support this valuable community project.

“Projects like this really benefit some of the most vulnerable people in our community. It gives them a structured programme of work in an outdoor environment which has many health, educational as well as emotional benefits.”

Bex Syrett, community gardener and leader of the project at the farm, said:

“We believe that this is an enjoyable, productive and stimulating environment, enabling these young adults to participate in a variety of activities and events at the farm.

“Cooking is an activity which the group really enjoy and over the last month they have made chutney using fruit and vegetables grown organically on the farm and locally. Our farm chef, Nicola Shuttleworth, has been serving up the chutney in Arthur’s Farm Kitchen, which the group have found extremely rewarding.

“We are very grateful to be working with the Shropshire Council and these wonderfully gifted adults. I find it an extremely rewarding project to work on and I look forward to it expanding and growing over the coming years.”

This project is one of the many things being supported by the council to encourage independence, and to ensure that people can lead more fulfilled lives.

“The redesign of our service has enabled us to better focus on the things that really matter, such as providing people with more choice and control, enabling people to be part of their community and empowering people to be more independent.

“By doing this we can ensure that our adult social care service is sustainable in the future, despite the financial challenges we face” Lee added.