Growing skills at Five Acre Farm

Last month Bristol WORKS took a group of students from New Fosseway School on a visit to Five Acre Farm in Backwell, so they could learn more about the different jobs required to keep the farm running and get some hands-on experience out in nature.

The visit began with a tour of the different areas of the farm. We were lucky enough to get beautiful weather, so it was a great day to walk around and explore. We took in the farm shop where they sell vegetables grown on site, heard about the ‘pick your own flowers’ days that the farm hosts, viewed where the vegetables grow, and identified plants growing in the polytunnels. During the tour we spoke to one of the farm staff, who was hard at work harvesting vegetables, to hear about the tasks that she does as part of her role. The orchard was a particular favourite, and young people enjoyed sitting in a beautiful hut crafted from living Willow trees.

Next, it was time to get stuck into helping out on the farm! First the group were tasked with weeding a section of one of the vegetable patches. Everyone put on gardening gloves and used trowels and spading forks to dig weeds out from their roots so they wouldn’t grow back. One energetic learner took the wheelbarrow back and forth to the compost heap to empty out the weeds that had been collected.

Once that task was done, the learners turned their hands to some planting. Our host demonstrated how to fill seed trays with new soil, create a hole in the soil, and place the seed in and cover it with earth. Learners filled four seed trays with sweetcorn seeds and then used a watering-can to give them a good drink.

After all the hard work, learners stopped to sit and have a well-deserved rest and a snack at the picnic tables. All agreed it had been a great day!

Thank you to the staff and learners at New Fosseway for being such a pleasure to accompany on the visit. New Fosseway is a unique school for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The learners did a fantastic job getting stuck into the activities, and answering questions about different vegetables, plants and animals on the farm. Our host at Five Acre Farm was impressed with the group, saying: “The biggest positive was seeing the young people engage and interact with the farm and get enjoyment out of the activities”.

We worked closely with Five Acre Farm to ensure that the activities were suitable for the learners. We would like to say a huge thank you to our hosts there for planning a great morning and accommodating the group so well.

Funded by The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.