DISADVANTAGED young people at risk of exclusion from school will get the chance to be involved in the new Jamie’s Farm programme, thanks to a grant from Monmouthshire Freemasons.

Jamie’s Farm, which opened a Monmouth site in January, provides a transformative residential and follow-up programme to some of the most vulnerable young people across England and Wales. During their week, young people are involved in the daily running of their rural livestock farms; in farming, gardening, cooking, horse work and woodwork activities, and going on a daily walk. Alongside these real jobs, they are supported through therapeutic one-to-one and group sessions.

The funding provided will go towards the crucial costs to support students in their activities such as gardening and woodwork equipment, art materials, kitchen equipment, animal feed and visit equipment such as warm clothes, wellies, overalls and board games.

While Jamie’s Farm works with young people from across England and Wales, they are hoping to reach even more disadvantaged young people from Wales, where there is significant need, at their Monmouth farm. They have already had visits from Tonypandy and Aberdare - the charity’s first ever Welsh schools. In total they aim to work with 450 young people at the Monmouth site each year.

“When I get back to school I want to not get in trouble that much, or be a bit calmer, I don’t know, change my behaviour a bit,” said one young person, 14, from Derby Moor Academy. “Just have more fun, open up more, be more confident”.

The grant from Monmouthshire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

Richard Davies from the Monmouthshire Freemasons said: “We’re very pleased to be able to help Jamie’s Farm with their hugely important work with very vulnerable young people. If these young people can be reached at an early stage it can turn round their whole lives.”

Jamie Feilden, CEO and Founder of Jamie’s Farm said: “We are thrilled to receive this generous donation from Monmouthshire Freemasons. Hundreds of disadvantaged young people each year will hugely benefit from the transformational therapeutic work that will be able to take place at our Monmouth farm as a result”.