Farming for mental health and wellbeing

“The farm has helped me develop my social skills, helping me communicate better with other.”

Swansea Community Farm is a community led city farm which aims to improve wellbeing, build skills and create a sense of belonging.

They received funding towards their Farm Clwb project where young people come together to run the working farm, caring for animals, tending to the land and gardening for food production and conservation.

Farm Clwb provides young people with a variety of needs, including ADHD, ASD and anxiety, a safe space to build confidence, increase skills and cultivate relationships.

So far, 46 young people have attended Farm Clwb sessions to improve their mental health and wellbeing. They have done this through volunteering to improve the farm site, assisting with running events, growing food and improving play spaces and habitats for people and wildlife.

Young people have stated that they “do not need to mask” when they are at the Farm Clwb as they are among other young people who are in a similar situation to them, and they can just be themselves.

Parents have reported that attending gives their children a sense of freedom, with one mother of a 13-year-old young person who is grieving the loss of her grandmother saying:

“It lets her be free of her worries, she can attend and be herself.”

A parent of a 17-year-old who is incredibly anxious and has selective mutism said:

“Being taught how to look after the animals, and allowing her to do so, has given her self-esteem, and built up her confidence. Being at the farm allows her the opportunity to be in different social situations, which in turn helps to develop her confidence, upon which to build communication skills. It gives her life a focus, otherwise she would be stuck in the house most of the time.”

A parent of a 13-year-old young person with a severe eating disorder said:

“She loves animals, and they help her to be able to talk to other children, they have something in common. The farm helps her interact with others and helps her feel ‘normal’.”