Testimonials

“Thank you for the time we spent with you the other day. We enjoy the sense of peace that you and your farm give us.”

I would say since being at the Farm my son has learnt so much about himself and his strengths. The bond he built with the staff was amazing and that is purely down to their patience and understanding of
him. He placed his trust in them and built great relationships. I feel he has come away with so much more by having this opportunity then he would have if he had stayed within the school environment.

Feedback was amazing - to receive the positive and also the days where things were tough. It gave us a chance to also discuss this at home and work on it for next time, learning the acceptable and safe behaviours within a working environment.
 

I could go on and on about how amazing this experience has been for not just my son, but also myself
as a parent, not just for his learning and experience but also for both our mental health and support, seeing him thrive, and want to progress and learn when we had such a negative
pathway prior, into such a positive two years was unbelievable , it is fantastic that this is on offer and I hope going forwards this is opened up wider for many others.

"Being at The Hope Farm Project has had a massive impact on my mental health in all the best ways - from my stress levels dropping to nearly nothing, to my social skills improving dramatically. My self-esteem has been boosted over ten times!

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I came from a very dark place in my life with no enthusiasm to even wake up in the morning, to now looking forward to what each day will bring. Being a part of the Project is the light of my day, week, month and even year. All in all, I would highly recommend it to anyone that is given a chance to come."

"At first I was like, “is this gonna be another school?” but it’s just not. It’s completely different. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s not like every day’s the same – there’s always something different.

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It’s made me grow up quite a lot, cos I’ve had the privilege of being able to do things I wouldn’t have been able to do if I hadn’t come here. It’s just changed my mindset really. When you’re sitting in a tractor cab, you can’t muck about!

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From here to school you’re not being told what to do and how to do it. And because I was interested, I also wanted to do it. I really like the approach of the staff, who often ask “so what ways could we do this?” about a task and then we speak about it and all have ideas.

In school I didn’t have the confidence to ask for help so I just messed about."

“The Hope Farm Project has been a godsend to our family. It is especially beneficial for my son’s mental health and channelling his energy into something fun and productive.  He says, "I feel at home there!" 

Two of our children suffer with lack of confidence and anxiety.  They both always feel comfortable at the farm allowing them to engage with all the activities offered.  Our daughter says: "It is the best day of the week!"  

Whenever we have a session at the Farm, our children come away with a really positive attitude and feeling good about themselves.  They are also learning lots of new skills.  We are so grateful for this opportunity.  Not only is this an amazing place to go, Sarah takes the time to get to know each child individually and makes sure everyone is included.”

"My daughter has ASC and was attending a mainstream school , and struggling to cope. The day to day environment was overwhelming for her and she was no longer making progress, so an alternative was required. Unfortunately, the journey to a specialist setting was a long one and she was put on a reduced timetable due to her mental health being in rapid decline.
This was when we sought alternative provision- which included The Hope Farm Project. My daughter had an interest in farm animals and enjoyed the outdoors. For one afternoon a week, she attended the farm, alongside a teaching assistant or myself . The sessions were very much led by her, with small tasks being carried out under Sarah’s watchful eye. Gradually, she gained confidence in attending the sessions, and talked about her afternoons with me when I picked her up. Over time, she was feeding the animals, carrying out tasks, and building her relationships with Sarah and her teaching assistant.
Attending The Hope Farm Project gave my daughter the opportunity to explore an alternative environment in which to learn, which can be difficult to access for many children who really need it in order to thrive. Sarah and her team have recognised that there is a real need to provide alternative provision in this area and met the needs of my daughter 100%. The empathy and compassion shown by Sarah has made a huge difference to my daughter’s confidence and willingness to take on new challenges and environments, and as a family we will always be grateful to The Hope Farm Project for being such an important part of her journey."

“We have been amazed at the support, the communication and professionalism that we have experienced since working with the Project. This provision is an amazing opportunity for our young people and we have already asked them to expand the provision for our School and consider taking more of our young people throughout the week. The students report that they are delighted with working alongside Sarah, they are able to give their opinions, a chance to shine in a more informal setting which taps into their interests and the parents are fully supportive.”

“Just to stay thank you for such a lovely time today. We all enjoyed it so much! 

My son said 'Farm school is the best!' I think we were all feeling a bit nervous to start with, but the atmosphere was so happy and friendly and relaxed that we all soon settled in - they were so excited to tell their dad about it when he got home."