I’m a big fan of Quarryfield Farm, they are run by a lovely family, and I’ve previously written about them for Sligo Now magazine and for the blog. I also have fond memories of being chased down a field by a ram! But that’s a story for another day. Today I want to tell you about Social Farming.
I’m really interested in activities that can benefit people’s mental health, and I’m a big advocate for Social Prescribing, it really helped me back in the day. Social Prescribing focuses on the individual, they look at the things that you are interested in, and they will find you activities and groups that you can connect with. You can check out the Sligo social prescribing service here and it’s a free service.
Social Farming Ireland Awareness Week took place this week, this was a chance for farms, who participate in the scheme, to open their gates and tell people more about it.
“Social farming focuses on peoples potential rather than limitations. Social Farming offers people who are socially, physically, mentally or intellectually disadvantaged the opportunity to spend time on a family farm in a healthy, supportive and inclusive environment.”
Social Farming Ireland
At Quarryfield Farm we heard how beneficial social farming is, both for the participants and for the farmers. We also got to meet some of the animals, and we enjoyed gorgeous home baking (thanks Marie). Even the lousy weather couldn’t dampen the spirits, and there was a wonderful turn out for the event.
I was delighted to see Tommy from Mountallen Ecofarm again, Tommy is a great advocate for social farming, and if you are looking for something special I’d really recommend his farm tours. I also got to talk to Brian from Leitrim Development Company, Brian was very helpful when I was working on a previous project about Leitrim.
It was a really lovely event, and I’m grateful to Kelly from Quarryfield for inviting me along. If you’d like to find out more about Social Farming Ireland, you can visit the website.
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