Hello and a warm welcome to Curly's Farm, part of the award-winning Curly's Legacy charity! 

Curly's Farm is a working farm set in 10 acres of gorgeous Kent countryside, on the Isle of Sheppey. Curly's Farm prides itself on being fully inclusive where everyone can learn and develop their farming and livestock handling skills. The youngest farmers being just 3 years old, we have no upper age limit as we want everyone to access the farm!

With Curly being the figurehead of the charity and with Curly being a full-time wheelchair user, his farm has been designed around the needs of those with additional needs.

On Curly’s Farm we work together carrying out essential and meaningful, everyday farming tasks working with the livestock that call Curly's Farm home. Learning new skills to improve confidence, self-esteem and working as a group, the young farmers will improve their social skills, tolerance of others and have an important role within the group and the farm team.

For anyone still a little puzzled, by the phrase 'care farming', it is the therapeutic use of farming practices and offers people with a defined health, social or educational need the chance to participate in a variety of farming activities for their therapeutic benefit – from animal husbandry to woodland management.

It is its defining qualities of combining being in nature, being part of a ‘social’ group and taking part in meaningful farming-related activities, which make it so successful when it is used as part of a structured, bespoke care package.

 "We know that the use of the natural environment can make a real difference to people’s wellbeing and the Care Farming Project is a practical, and inspiring, way of providing opportunities for more people to get involved" said James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care at NHS England at the launch of Growing Care Farming. 

Curly's Farm is an ALL weather farm (we don't stop because of a little bit of rain), we also have a very large barn for indoor farming activities. We are open to all schools, groups and individuals (by priory arrangement).

On Curly’s Farm we work together carrying out essential and meaningful, everyday farming tasks working with the livestock that call Curly's Farm home.

   Whilst at Curly's Farm you might want to have your tea-break in Curly's Cabin and picnic area, which is also suitable as a meeting point, for eating your packed lunches or for 'plot to plate' cooking activities using one of the cabin's two kitchens. 

Curly's Farm currently works with a large number of primary and secondary schools, as well as organisations, charities, residential units, foster and adoption agencies/departments, Virtual School for young people placed in and out of county, but each enabling their children and adults to access the farm each week.

Launching the Growing Care Farming, with the Health Minster, Minister Coffey also reminded us in her speech that while care farming most importantly benefits the service’s users, it also offers benefits to many others, saying: “Care farming provides health and social care and specialist education providers with innovative and effective care options. It benefits society as a whole by reducing the strain on statutory services and the NHS, and it also helps farmers who have an alternative way to use their farm, to provide health, social and educational care services in addition to or instead of commercial production.”

 We all learn to care for livestock, grow and care for home grown produce such as fruits and vegetables and learn the techniques to safely care for the farm animals.

Everyone’s contribution no matter how big or small is valid and important at Curly's Farm