Inspired to farm with a caring approach

It’s not often that you hear an East Riding farmer state that a farm in New York was his inspiration but that’s exactly the case with Denys Fell.

The farmer, from Hatfield near Hornsea, went to a conference seven years ago where he heard about care farming. Care farming is using farming to help people with disabilities or dependencies to learn and work through being on the farm. Denys came home so enthused he decided to set up his own care farm.

He said: “I was fired up and so passionate about it. I already knew how it was going to work at my farm.”

Denys came back to his 220-acre arable farm and set aside 20 acres to establish his own not-for-profit, social enterprise, care farm.

That was six years ago and Densholme Community 
Care Farm is now going strong, with up to 12 clients coming everyday, aged from 13 to 73 and with a range of physical and mental health needs. The farm employs two part-time staff and, when needed, has a bank of sessional workers and volunteers to call on.

Denys said: “We have some fantastic clients. We started with three lads from a local residential care home and all three of them are still coming six years later.”

He added: “I knew about the farming but not so much about working with children and young people. So I went to a local special school where the head teacher let me shadow her for a week so I could gain an insight into how she managed similar situations.”

It’s this dedication to supporting people and providing the best opportunities that seems to grow at Densholme. The mission statement of the farm is simple and straightforward: “To share the farm with those who may benefit.” It’s broad-ranging but gives those running it lots of scope to help young people and adults, and offer educational visits to local primary schools.

The farm is an approved day care centre, meaning clients can spend a part of their personal care budget on days at the centre.

Sara Foster, care farm supervisor, said: “We keep our ratios very low so clients get individual attention. Some need constant supervision, but others are allowed to get on with jobs and we let them.”

Densholme has clients with mental and physical disabilities, mental health needs and dependencies as well as young people aged 13 to 16 who are on alternative learning programmes, as mainstream school isn’t suitable for them.

A typical day starts with the clients for that day meeting in the amenity building and discussing what jobs need to be done.

Sara explained: “We do all the usual jobs you would expect on the farm, from feeding up and mucking out the animals to fencing and putting mulch around the trees in the orchard. All the work on the farm is done by clients.”

The farm is now home to two Kunekune pigs, two rescue Shetland ponies and 150 free-range chickens.

Kaye, one of the sessional workers, said: “The animals are fantastic for our clients. We have one client who is blind, doesn’t speak and is on the autism spectrum. He loves the pigs and is so happy to be with them and spend time with them. He enjoys just sitting with them and has a huge smile on his face.”

In 2012 the large amenity building was completed, giving clients somewhere to hold morning meetings about jobs, have lunch and to run workshops and classes.

The staff at Densholme are resourceful to say the least. When they are awarded funding from different organisations they use the money to buy raw materials, then work alongside the clients to make or build what is needed.

Last summer clients planned, dug, planted and maintained a sensory garden featuring carpets of chamomile, seating areas and painted tyres for planters.

More recently they helped Denys build an animal therapy building so they can spend time with the animals indoors. Clients who worked on the building gained their Open College Network Level 1 qualification in building and construction by doing so.

It’s clear when I meet Kyle, a client, that he feels real ownership: “I built this,” he says. “Me and Denys, we did everything from concreting the floor to the brickwork and then the wood.”

Kyle takes me to the recently constructed chicken shed, a similar construction to the animal therapy barn but much smaller.

Sally explains: “We did the Brickwall workshop and the clients all decorated (breeze) blocks which we then we used them to build the shed. It’s another way to make those who don’t do the building work feel involved.”

Another client, Adrian, proudly points out to me his Formula One decorated block.

“I’ve got a lot more confident since I started here,” says Adrian. “When I first came it was just for one day but I’m still here after five months. I struggle with my balance and so I use a rollator (wheeled walking aide) but there’s still a lot I can do on the farm.”

The farm has also recently installed a changing places facility, with a hoist and adult-sized changing bench so that people with all disabilities can visit the farm.

Despite some initial resistance, which Denys puts down to fear of the unknown, he says there has been a great deal of goodwill from people and organisations and some stories in particular make it all worthwhile.

“We had one lady who at her 60th birthday asked people to give money to us instead of giving her presents. I thought she must know someone here or someone who worked here, but she didn’t.

“Since then we’ve contacted her and she’s come to look round, but it’s people like that who show us we’re doing a good thing.”

Satisfaction in caring

Great satisfaction can be found in creating something to benefit individuals in need of support, care farm owner Denys Fell says.

“Farming can be a very lonely job, but when I come here in the morning there’s a real buzz about the place. I think it’s a real privilege to work here. The groups that come here get a bad press; they all want to do their best, but obviously, like all of us, they have some limitations.

“Many of our clients are dealing with some pretty serious issues, but working here we all pull together and it’s great fun.”