It has been a busy half term welcoming young people from our partner schools, Carshalton Boys School, Carew Academy and Holland Park School.
The boys from Carshalton did a great job living up to their leadership potential and taking from the week what was important for each of them individually. It was lovely to see them come together during their time on the farm, spending quality social time as a team supporting each other.
Our Carew crew were an absolute pleasure to be around and we were impressed with their skills in the kitchen as well as their willingness to be pushed out of their comfort zone, especially on the walks.
It was lovely welcoming back young people from Holland Park as they did a brilliant job working together as a team, reflecting on themselves but also finding out that they are excellent mud-sliders!
We are so fortunate to be able to work collaboratively with fantastic visiting staff who are invested in each of the young people and who continue to champion them back in school to fulfil their potential.
Over half term, we had the real privilege of welcoming young people and families for a selection of day visits through our long-standing partner B&NES (Bath and North East Somerset Council). The sense of community, togetherness, fun and laughter was really special and an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the farm to get some of what they needed to resource themselves – lamb cuddles have been a highlight for many!
We continue to relish the opportunity to go back into schools for our follow-ups not only to understand the progress of the group beyond the farm, but also to gain further insight into their school context. Thank you to Whitefield Schools, Sedgehill Academy, Brentside High School and Cranford Community College for welcoming us back into your schools to continue to support the young people’s journeys by reminding them of all their achievements.
On the farm, our first round of lambing has come to an end and we start preparing for the next, with recent scans showing happy healthy lambs for spring. Our first calf of the year has also been born, with many more to come.
Lots of work has gone into hedge laying and new hedgerows have been planted, creating wildlife corridors to encourage the biodiversity of our land.
A big thank you to our volunteers, who give their time so selflessly to benefit the young people who come to the farm. Another special thanks to Camilla, who has been working alongside the young people as well as supporting the team with her coaching expertise.
We are were also lucky enough to be joined by Heather, a wonderful residential volunteer, who brought her own expertise, shining personalist and brilliant enthusiasm to the week of working closely with our young people. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in spending a week supporting our visitors at Jamie’s Farm!
