Enhancing the sustainability of sensory farm visits discussed at the Let Nature Feed Your Senses Conference

Over the last 4 1/2 years, the Let Nature Feed Your Senses project has delivered sensory farm visits for 14,100 visitors across England. In 2013, the focus of the project has been on enhancing the sustainability of visits, and on 20th November 100 people attended the project’s annual conference in Birmingham to hear how farm visits can be sustained when project funding comes to an end.

Gavin Atkins from MIND’s ‘Eco-Minds’ programme led a workshop on ‘the way into health commissioning’; Corri Waitt from FarmAbility explained how she has promoted her care farming services to individuals with personalised budgets; Beren Aldridge from Growing Well introduced the new Care Farm UK Code of Practice; Denys Fell from Densholme Care Farm shared his success at making links with local sponsors; and Rachel Bragg from Essex University discussed the importance of gathering and utilising evidence of impact. Jonathon Gardner from New Economics Foundation Consulting presented findings from his research with two mental health support groups, showing that significant savings to the state can be realised from a series of farm visits.

A further focus of activity this year has been on action research, which has involved developing inclusive research tools on eight farms. Three host farmers shared their learning at the conference, and a report detailing action research learning will soon be available on the project website (www.letnaturefeedyoursenses.org). The project’s new poetry kits were also launched at the conference.

For more information, please contact the Let Nature Feed Your Senses Project Team.

There will be a full write up of the conference available on the Let Nature Feed Your Senses website shortly, in the meantime you can check out this write up of the project on the Farmer’s Weekly website.