Helping farms in Surrey are harvesting mental health rewards

Julia Gregory

Reporter BBC Sarri

ReportSurrey Mountain

Young people have the opportunity to see farm animals

On a farm located in Surrey Hills, young people are helping herds of cattle and making pens so they can creep.

They spent time on Pondtail Farm in Brockham near Box Mountain to help them enhance their mental health as part of a care farm program.

Katie Daw, coordinator of Surrey Hill Social Care Farm, said the program is boosting confidence and well-being among young people and alleviating anxiety.

Ronnie, 17, said help on the farm “is like mine.”

“People sleep better, eat better, want to actually get up and leave the house, and a lot of people really can’t do it because their mental health is so bad,” Ms Daw said.

“We take anyone with mental health, or need to enhance their health and well-being and then take them to the work farm.”

The meeting involved farm work like “collecting eggs or labeling cattle,” she said, depending on “their mental health needs.”

“It’s really influential, with several participants thinking of engaging in agriculture as a profession,” she added.

It also has a ripple effect on families and carers and can make a “huge difference”, she said.

Ronnie says outdoor activities can promote health

Julia Gregory/BBC is a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and wearing a black jacket standing in front of a pen with a cow inside. None of them looked at the camera. The church's spire can be seen in the background. — Ronnie says outdoor activities can promote health

Ronnie, 17, found solace on the farm and learned new skills.

She said: “Just being around nature makes me happier, and here is like heaven for me.

“It means a lot to me, just around the animals.”

Peter, 16, said he likes to "stay away from everything" and finds peace on the farm.

Peter helped Niu Niu and recommended farm nursing programs

Julia Gregory/BBC teenager in hoodie and blue trousers holding a stick on a lush green farm. He had black and brown cows walking behind him. — Peter helped Niu Niu and recommended farm nursing programs

Nellie Budd from Pondtail Farm said: “There will always be something different to do, let them see it.

“I’ll definitely see a lot of these changes and feel more confident in the animals and the animals around me.”

She said a young man wouldn't get close to animals on the first day, but "they wouldn't even hesitate."

“It gives them the confidence they need to realize they can achieve their goals.”

The project turns Thea's eyes to a series of outdoor careers

Julia Gregory/Julia Gregory is wearing a green top and a red hat, and a teenager stands next to a tractor with big wheels. Several cows are in the background, one of them is grazing. — The project turns Thea's eyes to a series of outdoor careers

Thea, 14, now has a place in the Agricultural College to study gardening.

The nursing farm gave her “more confidence in people and animals”, she said.

Bethany, 17, added: “I really enjoy spending time with the cattle and all the different animals around me.

“It’s just a great way to spend the house.”

The pilot program received a £65,900 reward from the Mental Health Investment Fund and Surrey Hill Farming Program.