As we move towards the final weeks of Growing Care Farming, we just want to take the opportunity to thank you for your support. 

We also want to remind you that although the GCF project is ending, the support and resources for care farming will remain available to you as members of Social Farms & Gardens.

Against the backdrop of Covid-19, we have been humbled by how resilient our sector has been. The unwavering commitment of care farmers to support each other and vulnerable people attending care farm sites has been extraordinary. If you ever need reminding of the value of our work, just turn to our films and make sure you keep sharing them, loud and proud!

Peer support and information sharing for care farmers will continue through the Social Farms & Gardens Facebook group and also the regular online member gatherings. Our care farming knowledge base is a huge resource, with everything from start-up tips to a comprehensive library of research information.

Social Farms & Gardens webinars are run monthly on a range of different topics from governance to growing. If there’s a particular subject you would like to see covered, please get in touch.

Training opportunities also continue, from a newly developed and updated CEVAS offering, to our online courses for those new to care farming and Thrive’s blended learning courses for developing good practice.

Lastly, the care farming Code of Practice has been redesigned and developed into the Green Care Quality Mark. This is currently being piloted and we’re looking forward to seeing it rolled out later on this spring. You can email [email protected] for more information.

Despite the wider societal challenges of the last couple of years we’ve had a lot of fun getting to know our wider audience and supporters. As the focus on nature-based activities continues to grow, care farming is in a strong position moving forward with wider recognition and support than we’ve ever seen before. Let’s make sure that continues!