HEALTH & NATURE
Catch the green care wave Stephen Sellers is the founder of FarmBuddies, an independent not-for-profit social enterprise set up in 2008 to expand the ethos of ‘Social Farming’. Here he explains what that is and why it’s so important
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lthough I live in southern England now, I maintain strong links with Jersey after ten enjoyable years working in the Island. Also, my wife, Mary, was born in the Island and so visits are usually catching up with family and friends as well as encouraging Social Farming. Our organisation supports interested farmers /landowners with Social Farming start-ups as well as facilitating visits to the sites by accompanied individuals. This gives young people and adults with different abilities and defined needs, such as autism, an opportunity to get involved in meaningful work as a team with others to improve wellbeing.
The Social Farming (SF) concept is sometimes known as Care Farming, and is part of a wider movement called 'Green Care'. Green Care is defined by the Green Care Coalition as ‘structured therapy or treatment programmes that take place in natural surroundings and which recognise the instinctive connection between nature and health.’ Over the last decade, the concept has become widely accepted across the UK and Europe.
It offers a broader range of services anchored in the community to meet the diverse needs of individuals rather than a one-track solution. Whilst not appropriate for everyone, it has a high level of inclusivity for most mild or moderate special needs covering ages 9-90. Having seen for myself many times the remarkable benefits of this route to a better quality of life, I am left in no doubt the concept can help any community. Jersey faces similar social, health and education issues as the UK and elsewhere – wellbeing concerns, sometimes compounded by the use of medication or other conventional solutions that are sadly not working well enough or even making matters worse! Fortunately, the Island has a wealth of suitable farms and other country sites to develop GC opportunities. For me, one of the most exciting aspects of SF is not that such an essentially simple activity works (as I lived on a farm until I was 21) but that a remarkable improvement in wellbeing can occur so rapidly.
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