AN education charity that uses the outdoors, nature and animals to help children through their secondary school years has opened its sixth farm - and it's near Skipton.

The first Jamie's Farm in the north of England, in a remote spot near Coniston Cold, has planted 7,000 metres of new hedge, hundreds of trees and herb-rich pasture, and has started welcoming school visits. Children who visit the farm spend time with the animals, get plenty of fresh air and cook and eat healthy, homegrown food.

With the mental health crisis among children and young people at its worst, the charity – which was set up by a former teacher - says its vision is to help better equip children to thrive during their secondary school years and beyond – and is determined to bring positive, lasting change to its visiting groups.

Jamie’s Farm offers children and vulnerable groups the opportunity to visit its rural havens, where they are fully immersed in farm life and receive tailored therapeutic support through the charity’s unique programme of 'Farming, Family, Therapy and Legacy'.

At its other locations, the charity already hosts hundreds of pupils from partner schools close to the new Skipton farm.

Couple Mark and Emily Carnie, who are now based the Craven site, have worked at Jamie’s Farm for nine years and know all too well the impact the farm has.

They said: “A visit to the farm offers children something completely different. They get plenty of fresh air, healthy homegrown food which we cook together, and the opportunity to do meaningful, practical work - feeding and mucking out animals, moving cattle, and chopping wood. They are part of the family.”

“For many of the children, their story at school is of failure and lost potential, but we give them jobs they can thrive in and show them what they are capable of.

"It’s about growing them in confidence and marking the way to make positive changes. We hear from so many of our children and our visiting teachers how well they are then able to translate these changes into achievements in their school lives too.”

Mark and Emily added: “The opportunity came up to set up and work at the Skipton farm and we couldn’t say no. We’ve really enjoyed welcoming the visiting children and teachers to this wonderful landscape”.

Jamie’s Farm was founded by an ex-teacher Jamie Feilden and his psychotherapist mother, Tish Feilden, in 2009.

It currently has five farms situated in Bath, Hereford, Monmouth, East Sussex and a city farm in Waterloo, London.

The charity has so far worked with more than 13,000 children through its residential and day-visit programme.

Jamie’s Farm, Skipton, will initially focus on running its day-visit programme, where a group of children from one school visit one day a week for a six-week block of visits.

Emma Moss assistant principal of Co-op Academy Priesthorpe, a secondary school, academy and sixth form in Pudsey, said: “The Jamie's Farm experience is without doubt one of the richest intervention opportunities out there and we're very keen to continue working with the new team over in Skipton”. 

The site covers a stunning 245 acres of pasture, which the charity has begun to transform through their regenerative approach to farming.

Jamie Feilden, co-chief executive officer and founder of Jamie’s Farm, said: “We are thrilled to be contributing to this stunning environment – in the form of 21,000 meters of fencing, planting 7,000 meters of new hedge, hundreds of new trees, and 75 acres of deep-rooted, herb-rich pastures, which include red clover, chicory and plantain.

"These crops allow our farming operation to be more resilient, reduce inputs of chemicals and bought-in feed, sequestering carbon in the process."

He added: "It is an incredibly exciting time for us supporting our partner schools in the Yorkshire and the families in the local community.

"We are pleased to have kicked it off with such delightful visits. Most importantly, as our children and staff attested, it ‘felt like Jamie’s Farm.’ "

To find out about booking a school visit or to become a regular volunteer and work alongside the staff team and visiting children - visit the Jamie's Farm website: www.jamiesfarm.org for more information.