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Care farms

What is care farming?

A care farm uses farming practices as part of a restorative healing treatment or therapy.

The care farm could be all or part of a farm and offer health, social or educational care services to vulnerable people. Social Farms & Gardens has the Green Care Quality Mark  to give confidence about the safe practices and professional conduct of the organisation.

What do care farms offer?

  • The care of horses is a feature of a number of UK care farms. Some have horses as part of their work, while others are specifically equine therapy centres
  • Less abled bodied people can learn new skills and develop new interests in a care farming environment
  • Young people often benefit from the care farming environment, learning new skills such as taking on responsibility for animal welfare
  • Care farms enable people with learning difficulties to experience the natural world in a new way
  • Learning about food and where it comes from is one of the many educational benefits of care farms.

Those referred to a care farm will be offered a regular and structured programme of farming-related activities such as:

  • Crop and vegetable production
  • Woodland management
  • Animal management - animal husbandry, small animals, livestock, poultry

How can I get a service?

Referrals are usually from social services, health care teams, education services and probation services but people can also be referred by family members of self-refer themselves.

Care farms cannot offer a free service and therefore charge a fee for the programmes that they offer.

Where are they?

There are several care farms in and around Norfolk:

Clinks Care Farmwww.clinkscarefarm.org.uk (opens new window)
Clinks Farm, Toft Monks, NR34 OET
Telephone: 01502 679134
Email: admin@clinkscarefarm.org

Edfords Care Farm - www.edfordscarefarm.co.uk (opens new window)
Browns Lane, Mautby, NR29 3JQ
Tel: 01603 559449
Email: info@edfordscarefarm.co.uk

Lingwood Care Farm - www.lingwoodcarefarm.com (opens new window)
Dairy Farm, 41 Station Road, Lingwood, Norwich, NR13 4AZ
Telephone: 07946 610973
Email: sallymedler@hotmail.co.uk

Pathways Care Farm - www.pathways-care-farm.org.uk (opens new window)
Leonard Drive, Lowestoft, NR32 4WB
Telephone: 01502 531258
Email: geoff@pathways-care-farm.org.uk

Sunset Barn Care Farm - Sunset Barn Care Farm website (opens new window)
Sunset Barn, Brandon, IP27 9BY
Telephone: 07847 037622
Email: melaniepsmith@hotmail.co.uk

Thornage Hall - www.thornagehall.co.uk (opens new window)
Thornage, Holt, NR25 7QH
Telephone: 01263 860305
Email: office@thornagehall.co.uk

Willow Tree Farming - www.willowtreefarming.co.uk (opens new window)
Field Farm, Hillington, King's Lynn, PE31 6DL
Telephone: 07786 853549
Email: info@willowtreefarming.co.uk

Find out more

Search for care farms in your area

Some care farms have their own website, Facebook page, or entry in the Norfolk Community Directory.

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