Working at Butterlope Farm gives participants the opportunity to assist with caring for sheep including feeding, lambing, herding, and dealing with animal health care. Other farming activities include feeding and looking after poultry, collecting eggs, and helping to maintain farm habitats and structures. This could range from dry stone walling to fencing and woodwork projects. A workshop allows the majority of items such as feeders, hen boxes, bird boxes and gates to be produced on the farm.
The kitchen garden, green house and polytunnel provide opportunities for horticulture activities such as vegetable and fruit growing. In addition, Butterlope Farm participants have the opportunity to enjoy and learn about the environment and the richness of our beautiful countryside.
All activities are thoroughly risk managed and delivered at the participants pace. Participants can attend through 'So Keep Farming' a fully funded programme for a set number of weeks or in a longer term basis through Direct Payments. Participants can be referred through the Health Trusts or other key workers. Self referrals are also possible.
So Keep Farming is a project led by RAPID in partnership with Gortilea and Butterlope Social Farms. It is part funded by the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020 through the Department for Economy, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Health and Social Care Board.
The focus of the project is to use Social Farming to enable people with disabilities to achieve their aspirations and play a fuller role in society by undertaking training on the Social Farms and through RAPID which is a LANTRA training centre. The activities offered by this project will be ‘person centred’ and will be tailored to individual needs. Social Farming has been shown to offer people with a disability the opportunity to engage and contribute by choice in farming, training and social activities. This is offered through the medium of ordinary farms acting in partnership with services and those who avail of supports. It provides disadvantaged groups of people with an opportunity for inclusion, to increase their self esteem and to improve health and well-being.
Participants can also gain qualifications in LANTRA Health & Safety and Land-based Activities in a supported environment and individually tailored to their needs.
Placements are one day per week. A 30 week programme and a 10 week programme are available.