Curly’s Legacy
Farming education & voluntary opportunities
Providing life-enhancing educational and social opportunities for the Isle of Sheppey and the local and wider community of Swale, each week offering farming education to children, adults with complex learning difficulties and providing voluntary opportunities to vulnerable adults.
About the project
Curly’s Legacy is committed to providing life-enhancing educational and social opportunities for the Isle of Sheppey and the local and wider community of Swale, each week offering farming education to children, adults with complex learning difficulties and providing voluntary opportunities to vulnerable adults. Beneficiaries receive a fully immersed farm experience, working with rare breeds reared for fleece, meat, dairy and breeding, with potential to gain qualifications.
The grant covered the costs to deliver the project for eleven adults aged 18-25 years with intellectual learning difficulties. The programme was delivered in a multitude of ways to suit the individual needs, interests and aspirations of the young adults.
Farming duties included; farming livestock, small animal care, office admin and assisting in the setting up of the farm shop to the public.
The young adults worked towards a varied array of accreditations, based upon their interests, activities, and experiences at the farm and some were recruited to paid staff from this project.
Beneficiary story
Esther, 23, arrived at the farm in 2021 to join this project. She has been working on the farm with the support of her tutor from Bemix. Staff observed the change in her demeanour from being selective mute, as she became comfortable handling the animals and with this confidence came speech and the ability to communicate with staff about animal needs.
She has since gained AQAs in introduction to animal care, studying farm animal welfare, moving and handling sheep, collecting sorting and packing eggs and basic farm keeping.
She has shown such commitment to the work she was doing that she has been nominated for a volunteer award at Buckingham Palace. She progressed to volunteering for four days per week but has since been taken on as Farm Staff.
