Avenbury Care Farm has been developed in Avenbury Lane, Bishops Frome, to provide day care opportunities for people with learning and physical disabilities and dementia.
Activities available include therapeutic horticulture in the raised bed vegetable plot, orchard and sensory gardens, animal care, arts and crafts, cookery and wood work.
The Care Farm has being set up as a Community Interest Company by Ina Dressler-Pearson with the aim of providing a very special, safe and welcoming place for people to access meaningful outdoor activities, make connections with people, animals and the environment, improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing and create opportunities for learning and achievement in the countryside.
The accessible raised bed vegetable garden
Set in beautiful grounds in the peaceful countryside, the care farm is completely wheelchair accessible and indoor facilities include arts and crafts and woodworking workshops, a training kitchen and disabled toilets and shower room.
Ina said “We are very excited to be ready to welcome participants to our care farm. We have worked hard over the last few months to complete work on the site including the buildings, facilities, car parking and accessible paths. We have friendly pigs, sheep, pygmy goats, and giant rabbits so that people can learn about working with animals. Our vegetable garden is thriving and we have appointed staff. We are looking forward to creating a wonderful place where everyone who comes will feel part of the team and be able to learn and participate in farm activities in all weather.”
In May, the care farm was awarded a grant from The Herefordshire Community Fund to help to create communal outdoor sensory areas. The grant helped to buy sensory plants and some hard landscaping materials for the creation of these tranquil areas on the site.
The care farm is now open to applications from future participants who would like to attend. It will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-3.30pm from 21st August. Participants can book for half a day at £30 of a full day at £55.
The care farm would also like to invite anyone interested in volunteering to get in touch. If you have an interest in working with people, gardening, landscaping, furniture restoration, woodworking or would just like to be involved in this exciting new community project, they would love to hear from you.
Visit http://www.avenburycarefarm.com/ for more information.
