July update from Jamie’s Farm Monmouth

July has seen us welcoming a real range of groups to the farm. It was great to have Bishop Douglass Catholic School back on the farm as part of our ongoing partnership with Bertha Earth, a great group of young people who were hugely engaged with everything we do to protect the environment and care for our surroundings.  

We welcomed a new partner to the farm, Pimlico Academy. This wonderful group of young people brought real enthusiasm and joy to the farm. They took great care of all the animals and expressed themselves so well in our daily check ins and group discussions throughout the week.

This month, our local primary school, Overmonnow visited us. Some of these children have been coming to the farm for three years and it feels incredibly special to have seen them grow over time and always return with the same enthusiasm. We look forward to welcoming more Overmonnow young people to the farm in the new academic year.   

ACT JGW+, another of our returning partners, did a fantastic job of selecting a really special group of young people who really came together during the week opening up, making new friendships and growing in confidence. 

Elly visited Leytonstone School this month and it was fantastic to see all twelve young people and two of the visiting staff from this new partner. A brief update about what was happening on the farm was followed by lots of questions. Whilst watching the Celebration Film, there were a  few teary eyes but also lots of joy with so many reminders of what a wonderful week.   We are very much looking forward to working with Leytonstone School again!  

Then Elly travelled to Haringey Learning Partnership to see four of the young people who joined us. It’s always a pleasure to visit and have a tour of the school and meet some future Jamie’s farmers as well. We watched the film of the week in the Art Room where some of the young people were enjoying their art lesson, read out certificates, handed out postcards and individual messages from the team. Fantastic to share so many memories of the farm.  

We’re very sadly saying goodbye to Marguerite Doherty at the end of this month. She has been an absolute joy to have as part of the team and we are all going to miss her. Every week Marguerite has created a magical space at the woodshed in which our visiting groups have experienced challenge, sense of achievement and fun in abundance when log chopping, making spatulas and creating journey sticks. We wish Marguerite all the best with her future plans.    

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Open Day on Saturday 13^th July. The sun shone, there was a lovely buzz on the farm, and it was great to see so many old friends and new faces exploring our site. We love opening the farm up to visitors, and even though we can only do this occasionally, it’s lovely to see friends, neighbours and supporters enjoying our beautiful space. Diolch yn fawr iawn!