About our Green Care Programme
Our Green Care Programme is a range of indoor and outdoor day activities and skills-based opportunities which connect to nature. They are therapeutic interventions expertly designed for adults with a learning disability, autism or mental health problems.
The programme is offered at all our urban and rural communities.
It is available for people living in our supported communities as well as those in the wider community with support needs. We provide full day and half day placements.
Where does the Green Care Programme take place?
The day activities take place in our communities' working social farms, gardens and other natural spaces, our amazing art and craft workshops, printing press, cafés shops and food and other production enterprises. Expression and creativity are also important for wellbeing - we have purpose-built buildings for music, crafts and drama to deliver a range of creative nature-based arts within our Green Care Programme.
The range of activities is different at each of our communities - from being able to actively work outside in our gardens and farms, to participating in indoor nature-based creative arts, where we work with natural materials or celebrate the changing seasons and landscapes. As we care passionately about health and nutrition, we also offer opportunities working with food, from field to fork - from harvesting to processing and baking – right through to customer facing opportunities such as serving food in our cafés and working in our shops.
We are re-imagining social care, designing a new answer to a challenged sector through the power of nature, with Green Care.
About our Green Care Programme
We offer seven main categories of supported activity:
- Growing and horticulture (such as planting seeds, growing vegetables and other plants, maintaining gardens, harvesting produce)
- Animal care and husbandry (such as feeding animals, grooming and care, collecting eggs, working with livestock)
- Countryside management (such as tree and hedge work, maintenance of greenspaces, working with equipment and machinery)
- Nature-based arts (such as woodwork, pottery, willow weaving and working with natural fibres)
- Creative arts for wellbeing (such as music and drama)
- Catering, food preparation and processing (such as preparing fruit and vegetables, jam and chutney making, baking, preparing produce)
- Retail and customer service (such as working in the shop or café serving customers or working behind the scenes)
Working together to achieve together
Camphill Village Trust works together with the people we support to achieve together (co-production). This enables people to contribute to their community and develop skills, gain experiences, feel valued and maintain or improve their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
We also offer programmes for the wider community, such as supporting people in work experience, volunteering, attending a group activity or training provided by others.
The benefits of Green Care
At Camphill Village Trust, we’ve always been passionate about enabling a Life of Opportunity through the power of nature. That’s because we can see the incredible impact that connecting to the world around us can have on health, confidence and wellbeing.
Green Care can help with physical and mental health, social connection, learning and skills development. It can reduce reliance on health and social care services.
It’s holistic and person-centred. Everyone we support at Camphill Village Trust is an individual with different abilities and everything we do is about enabling their unique potential. So, every experience and every impact are different, but common benefits include:
- Increased self-advocacy, agency, and independence.
- Increased confidence and self-esteem.
- Increased inclusion and social connection.
- Increased sense of purpose, meaning and value.
- Increased life and/or vocational skills.
- Improved health and wellbeing.
Our Green Care Programme builds on our heritage of social farming, gardens and nature-based opportunities so more people can benefit from them in a way that is unique to them.
The impact nature has on people with mental health problems
The Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing report shows that 8,339 people with mental health problems participated in nature-based activities through seven pilot projects. This initiative reached a diverse group, including children, young people, ethnic minorities (21%), and people from deprived areas (57%). Participants experienced significant improvements in wellbeing across all measured areas, demonstrating the positive impact nature-focused activities have on people with a mental health problem.
"These participants experienced improved wellbeing when accessing nature-based activities, indicating that GSP (green social prescribing) can have a positive impact."
Meaningful nature-based activities help people with learning and other disabilities as well as mental health problems.
"I’ve learned a lot of things. How to make cakes, pies and soup! I’ve enjoyed it very much. I’d like to carry on learning more."
Adrian, Taurus Crafts
Long term impact of Green Care
Through our provision of Green Care Opportunities, Camphill Village Trust contributes to the health, wellbeing and independence of people with a learning disability both at individual and community level, resulting in:
“More people with learning and other disabilities having the opportunity and autonomy to live a more healthy, active and independent life.”
How do I get involved?
Anyone can make a referral to us, it could be a carer, family member, friend, or neighbour. We also encourage social prescribing by GPs, mental health services, community nurses and other health and social care professionals.
Contact us now.
Severnside Skills
In addition to our Green Care Opportunities, we also offer courses that incorporate Green Care. Severnside Skills provides training and educational opportunities through Taurus Crafts visitor centre. We aim to pioneer the way in which trainees can progress along their own professional pathways by gaining practical work experience in a supported environment.
Our courses are aimed at Level One and Entry Level abilities, and an initial assessment will ensure you are working towards a level appropriate for your progression. We offer a range of courses from retail training to catering to short courses.
Taurus Crafts also offers activities such as cleaning and housekeeping, events stewarding, and admin skills.
"I think it's great to see what one can accomplish with one's hard work gardening. If people are happy with the veg you grow, you're making a good difference. You're building a healthy life with vegetables for cooking."
Nick, Botton Village
