Butterlope Farm in the heart of the Sperrins provides an alternative to those in need of social care

Social farming is a service delivered by farmers as an innovative use of agriculture to promote therapy, rehabilitation, social inclusion, education, and social services in rural areas.

There are multiple benefits from social farming for both the individuals involved and the rural economy.

There are currently 18 farms delivering 30 social farming sessions per week across Northern Ireland to 101 individuals with a support need.

The Social Farming Support Service operates with a vision of Social Farming being widely recognised and understood in Northern Ireland, with farmers delivering high-quality social farming services across the region for individuals in need of support, that are valued by all, accessible for all, and supported by sustainable resources.

Butterlope Farm is located two miles from the village of Plumbridge in the beautiful Glenelly Valley, at the heart of the Sperrins.

The farm is owned and managed by Annie and Vincent Mullan. It is mainly a sheep farm with a variety of breeds but they also have calves, hens, ducks and three sheep dogs. A kitchen garden and large polytunnel allows a large variety of vegetables to be grown for the family and farm helpers.

A community interest company based on the farm aims to bring visitors closer to nature while learning about farming, the countryside and improving their own health and well-being. In order to achieve this a number of programmes are based on the farm including social farming.

Butterlope Farm provides an alternative to those in need of social care. This may be adults with additional learning needs or people recovering or experiencing mental health problems.

Participants work alongside the farmer to take care of all the animals, manage the land, grow and tend to vegetables and learn about the wildlife of this beautiful upland area.

Working on the farm brings many benefits such as improved physical and mental health as well as developing participants confidence in a work and social environment. Participants can also benefit from achieving accredited LANTRA qualifications while on the farm.

Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the farm welcomes individuals from Adult Learning Disability and Adult Mental Health services within the Western Trust area.

Each person enjoys the range of farming activities available at Butterlope Farm including caring for the animals, horticultural planting and growing, and farm maintenance. Working on the farm builds on new skills, increases confidence, and boosts over wellbeing of the participants.

Annie commented on the importance of Social Farming: “The Sperrins is one of the most deprived areas for service provision in Northern Ireland, so we are delighted that we have been able to provide these day opportunities and social services for our participants who come from Omagh, Strabane and Derry areas.

“We have built up great relationships with our helpers and we look forward to them joining us on the farm every week.”

If you would like to hear more about social farming, or are interested in being involved, please contact Rural Support’s Social Farming Support Service on 028 86760040 or [email protected].

To find out more about the range of services and programmes available at Rural Support, go to the NI Farm Support hub at www.ruralsupport.org.uk or telephone the Support Line on Freephone 0800 138 1678 available Monday to Friday from 9am to 9pm.