Let’s Farm is an exciting new payable service for people with learning disabilities age 18-35 who live in Cheshire. As a payable service, sessions can be paid for via Personalised Budgets, Direct Payments or privately funded. The key focus of the service is to give an excellent quality of life and offer the experience to work on a working farm. Taking part in all farming life and daily stock duties. Also, to enhance the offer we will be running a conservation, environmental, and enrichment programme. All the activities will help to make new friendships, learn, you will be working on your employability skills which is woven through everything we do on the farm and develop new skills, an unbelievable experience while working as a team to expand knowledge in a safe controlled but exciting environment. Most importantly Let’s Farm will be about having fun and supporting your mental wellbeing.

What we'll deliver:

• For disadvantaged young people to have full PPE to work on the farm including full waterproofs and appropriate footwear.
• An equipped classroom base for when the young people are not working outside to help underpin their knowledge.

Why it's a great idea:

Covid 19 has had a massive impact on everyone in particular those with learning disabilities who have lost opportunities and become social isolated and deskilled therefore this has had a negative impact on their mental health. Everybody needs something to get up for that is meaningful and has a purpose. The young people will be our Farm Rangers and they will be joining us to help run the farm, assisting with all the events which take place on the farming calendar such as - • Lambing • Tupping • Farrowing • Calving • Using an incubator to hatch eggs • Health checking animals • Preparing animals for shows • Showing animals in competitions We are also running a conservation, environmental and enrichment programme for those who are not keen or interested in the animal side of farming. This will follow a conservation calendar such as • Habitats • Migration • Making bird boxes and fat balls • Harvesting the orchard and making produce • Maintaining woodland, wetland areas • Mindfulness

Steps to get it done:

• To set up a small animal care department with our rangers so they can be a part of the development and take ownership.
• To fund and build a functional classroom that our rangers can have an indoor base and to underpin their knowledge .

The opportunities that Let's Farm can offer are endless some of the added value is we will work on their employability skills and move people into employment where we can, we will work on their functional skills, independent living skills and be guide by individual care plans and set personal targets therefore making it a very individually person centred on a daily bases. In line with the governments Preparation for adulthood agenda. Overtime there will be opportunities to open up the offer to others within the community from different age groups, young people excluded from schools, NEET's , the elderly, Local special schools and run bespoke educational enrichment programmes.