Feedback from friends, family and teachers

EK, mother of client.

“J absolutely loves the farm and has been coming for many years now. We’ve watched in awe as the staff here have worked with him to increase his independence so that he can do small tasks unaided. He’s learned valuable hands-on skills about caring for the animals and we’ve seen his self-esteem grow as he recounts his achievements proudly to us at the end of the day. He loves the place and we know that the staff love him and it’s a joy to witness his happiness here.”

JF, mother of client.

“My learning-disabled son, J, now aged 27, has been attending the farm since he was at secondary school, and he has benefited from working outdoors and developing his craft skills, for example woodwork and drawing. He has also learned empathy from caring for animals.”

AD, mother of children attending Farm School.

“My children love being at SweetTree farm. The immense sense of safety created at the farm has given an ideal environment for my children to grow in confidence and independence. It’s also a wonderful place to come together as a community, connecwith nature and learn valuable life skills. We are so lucky to have the care farm in easy reach of home and it would be good to see if used by as many young people as possible. It’s a wonderful hub for them to come together to learn, connect and gain all the therapeutic benefits of being at the farm.”

KC, teacher at Northway School.

“The children have made leaps and bounds of progress since starting to attend the farm. Their confidence and resilience has improved and they are willing to try many more new things, they are becoming increasingly independent. They are given the opportunity to develop their social skills in a new environment, and build rapports with new people including the team on the farm. The farm environment enables a holistic approach to their learning, including developing empathy and kindness towards the animals and others around them. The children particularly enjoy feeding and learning about the animals, and participating in horticulture and crafts, where they have a sense of ownership and creation of their achievements.”

Mother of J, who attends SweetTree Fields Farm Summer Camp.

“Frankie from Active Day Camps and Chloe from SweetTree Farm have been wonderful. Together, they created a welcoming, child-centered camp day to which my son keeps asking to return.”