Care Farms network set for West Midlands

A GROUNDBREAKING health and social care project is set to see a network of working ‘care farms’ established across the West Midlands.

Care Farming West Midlands (CFWM) was set up with investment worth over £400,000 from the Advantage West Midlands Rural Regeneration Zone and is expected to see up to 20 new social enterprise care farms created across Shropshire, Herefordshire and rural Worcestershire.

In one of his last engagements before the General Election, Shropshire MP Philip Dunne visited Tickwood Farm, near Much Wenlock to see firsthand how the project will work.

Participants will develop existing farm businesses while also providing a positive lifestyle for people traditionally excluded from society.

The working farms will help a variety of people including those with learning disabilities, people recovering from substance misuse or mental health problems, young people excluded from school and the long-term unemployed.

Edward and Anna Dugdale run Tickwood Farm which provides support for groups of vulnerable people and which is working with Care Farming West Midlands on developing its care farming activities.

Jon Dover, policy manager at Care Farming West Midlands, said: “Care farms provide a practical combination of meaningful work, a supportive daily structure and connection with other people in a natural and healthy environment which can have a major impact on health, well-being and rehabilitation.

“Tickwood Farm has been doing excellent work for some time and with the help of CFWM it is planned to further develop the services offered to care commissioning organisations like local authorities and the probation service.”

Mr Dunne said the project would have a major impact on traditional health and care services, enabling people with long-term conditions to undertake meaningful and fulfilling work.

“South Shropshire has played a leading role through Oak Farm at Ditton Priors and Willowdene Farm at Chorley in pioneering care farm developments in this country,” he said.

“Tickwood is taking this a step further by seeking to integrate the benefits of care farming to all three main user groups of those with learning difficulties, whether adults or children, as well as prolific offenders and drug abusers needing rehabilitation and training.”

The West Midlands is the first region in the UK to provide investment and structure to develop care farming.

Ian Edwards, head of the RRZ, said the body was keen to support the Care Farm concept.

“The opportunity to address social exclusion is significant, but the economic benefit is important as well as diversification for farmers is a vital and care farming also helps us to address this,” he said.