Mark returned to Care Farm UK to learn more about their activities and to see first hand how the approach works. Accompanied by John Dover, Mark first visited a smallholding where newly released offenders and recovering drug users work hard on the local vegetable crops and tend the pigs, goats, chickens and turkeys.
This was followed by a visit to a similar set up, concentrating on the requirements of those with special education needs. Finally, a tour of a new smallholding, in the process of being constructed by excluded pupils finished off the tour.
In these cases, the care farms have been set up specifically to help a certain type of user, and the training received goes as far as packaging and marketing the goods produced, giving the service users a commercial experience. In other cases, fully commercial farms open their doors to service users.
“I was immensely impressed by what I saw at the Care Farms. Giving responsibility to people who’s live may have been chaotic is incredibly important and, crucially, gives people a clear sense of purpose and responsibility. The outcomes for service users appears to be very good and I am now a big fan of this initiative. Moreover, there are economic benefits to the wider economy as this type of rehabilitation (where appropriate) is more desirable than alternative and traditional measures.”