A farm project making a difference
How one couple escaped the rat race to set up a project helping change the lives of people with mental health issues through farming
Adonkey with attitude, a flock of sheep named after detectives and two goats who love a tickle might not sound like your typical team of healthcare professionals. But at a very special farm in Lincolnshire, these loving animals and a gaggle of other friends have been making people feel better and bringing comfort to those at their lowest ebb.
The Askefield Project is one of a growing number of care farms in the UK, dedicated to helping vulnerable people gain skills, confidence, friends and a sense of hope by spending time on a working farm. All have the chance to muck in with everyday farming jobs, from feeding the animals to lambing and looking after the land to growing produce, with the idea that everyone will pull off their wellies at the end of the day feeling better than when they put them on that morning.
It all began when Hannah and Chris Blevins decided they wanted a simpler, more rural, existence for their family.
At the time Chris was working in the motorsports industry, regularly travelling abroad and missing out on precious moments with his young children. Fed up of the hectic pace, they decided to seek out their own version of TV’s The Good Life by buying a field and learning everything they needed to know about farming.
At first, to make ends meet, they grew fruit to create cordial, but soon got talking to the managers of the nearby North Sea Camp prison who asked if they could send prisoners to learn skills on their farm. It was a great success as prisoners had a chance to get to grips with normal life while Hannah and Chris had an extra pair of hands.
After that, the couple realised their farm could help even more people and they worked with local doctors to encourage patients with mental health issues, as well as Alzheimer’s and learning disabilities, to spend time on the farm.
“We’re a place for people to grow through experience,” says Hannah.
“So they come along and do things we take for granted every day – like being outside and working with animals – but it can have this huge benefit to them.”
In fact, in the two years the project’s been going, Chris and Hannah say they’ve seen some incredible transformations, such as Tim who has Asperger’s. “When Tim arrived he couldn’t speak to anyone, but now he speaks openly to all of us,” says Hannah. “He’s gained so many skills with us, we’re now trying to find him a job – which is probably something that wouldn’t have been possible before.”
And that’s a big part of the mission of The Askefield Project – to give people who would normally have nowhere to turn a stepping stone into work or other opportunities.
One great success story is an exmilitary policeman who arrived with
post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by witnessing terrible events during the IRA bombings and elsewhere. “He was very tearful on day one, explaining he normally couldn’t get out of bed and we didn’t think he’d come back again,” says Hannah. But he did and, as he got to know the animals, his confidence grew and he eventually decided to train as a counsellor. Today
‘We just ask people to help us and in doing so, it seems to start a process of healing or recovery’
he’s helping other people who’ve been through trauma.
“It’s great we were able to help him but as far as we see it we don’t do anything special. We just ask people to help us and in doing so, it seems to start a process of healing or recovery.”
In fact, what Hannah and Chris are doing backs a number of recent studies that suggest interacting with animals and getting outdoors can do wonders for improving mood and even fighting off common health complaints.
And that’s why they’re always thinking up big dreams for how their farm can help even more people, with plans to start engaging young families who are struggling to cope, people with physical disabilities and disaffected teenagers who have few opportunities in this rural area.
All of this takes funds Hannah and Chris currently don’t have, but they won’t give up on their dream of helping people. For if ever there was a motivation for them to keep going, especially in the hard times when fences collapse, animals get sick or if the money runs out, they have an alltoo-personal reminder.
“Chris’s dad struggled with depression for years and tragically, last July, he took his own life,” says Hannah. “So he’s the reason we’re fighting to keep this place going. If we can help just one person not take that route and spread the message that it’s OK to talk about mental health or seek help with their struggles in life, we will have done our job.”
■ If you’d like to help, please donate at paypal.me/Askefield or send a cheque payable to ‘The Askefield Project’ to: Peter Eden’s Farm, Howgarth Lane, Friskney, Boston, Lincolnshire PE22 8PQ. Find out more by calling 07754 232873 or visit www.askefield.co.uk