A CARE Farm in North Cerney supporting young people and adults with learning disabilities has started its long-awaited expansion after a mammoth fundraising effort.

Scrubditch Care Farm has outgrown its present site, where it has been based since it opened in 2010, and last week builders began work on the new premises on a bigger area less than a quarter of a mile away. It is hoped that the charity will move to the new site next May.

In just over a year, the charity has raised £185,000, with some coming from the farm’s own fundraising efforts and the lion’s share from sponsorship, including £40,000 from St James’s Place Foundation.

The Care Farm, founded by Emma Costley-White and managed by Gerry Fouracres, provides therapeutic farm based training and real farm work experience that helps to increase independence, improve physical and mental health, and increase self-esteem.

Emma said: “It is fantastic to get started. The expansion will mean we are able to double the number of regular students we can support each day from seven to 12 and will mean we can operate five days a week instead of the current three.

“We will also be able to increase the variety of farming experiences we can offer, and offer access to the local community when it is not in use.”

The new facilities will mean that the farm can offer cooking, arts and crafts and woodworking. There are also plans to include a quiet room.

As well as farming sessions for students with learning disabilities, the farm has recently added Feel Good Farming dementia sessions into its weekly programme.

These have proved incredibly popular, with one wife who brings her husband who has dementia, saying: “the farm days have given him new interests and a feel good factor, he feels part of a community and loves collecting the eggs warm from the henhouse and feeding the pigs.”

Key sponsors from the Scrubditch Care Farm Appeal included the Summerfield Trust (£20,000), Kay Winstone Trust (20,000), St James’s Place Foundation (£40,000), Sobell Foundation (£45,000), Notgrove Trust (£10,000), Clothworkers Foundation (£10,000), Bernard Sunley Foundation (£10,000), and the Garfield Weston Foundation (£10,000).

Individuals also took on challenges to raise funds, including Tim Gilling and Siobhan Baillie who recently ran the Stroud half marathon, and raised £2,475.50 for the Farm.

Scrubditch plans to add a wishlist to its website for donations of items for use in the new build. Visit scrubditchcarefarm.org.uk