1. TRAINING COURSE SOCIAL FARMING
Call: IT02-KA KA2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices-Strategic Partnerships for adult education
TRAINING COURSE
SOCIAL FARMING
CASE STUDY n° 2 - ANNAGH SOCIAL FARM 1

2. Contact: Simon and Jennifer Bullock Address: Northern Ireland
MODULE Social Farming
CASE STUDY N. 1
ANNAGH SOCIAL FARM
Contact: Simon and Jennifer Bullock
Address: Northern Ireland

3. HISTORY AND FARM DESCRIPTION
The farm is situated County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The farm house is a traditional thatched cottage with a square of traditional stone barns that have been recently refurbished.
The gardens are filled with mature trees with a pond used by wild birds.
We also have the care of a ruined stone 17th century plantation castle on our farm. 3

4. DATA & FIGURES OVERVIEW
TYPE OF FARM Mixed–beef, ducks and hens, woodland, wild bird and moth conservation, vegetable/fruit harvesting.
The farm land extends to just over 100 acres of grazing lands. 4

5. Name: Annah Social Farm
HOLDING DATA
Name: Annah Social Farm
Address: Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Web:
Type of enterprise: Simon and Jennifer Bullock
Mixed–beef, ducks and hens
Legal representative: Simon and Jennifer Bullock
Year farm commenced: 1720
Year of commencement social farming: 2011
Size of farm: 100 acres (30 acres used for social farming) 5

6. MULTIFUNCTIONAL EXPERIENCE:
DIVERSIFICATION
Annagh Social Farm was selected as a pilot farm for Social Farming Across Borders (SoFAB) from the beginning of project 2013.
The project was an EU INTERREG IVA Funded project which operated in the Border counties of Ireland and all of Northern Ireland.
The Pilot Project included 10 from Republic of Ireland and 10 from throughout Northern Ireland. 6

7. AFTER DIVERSIFICATION
OUTCOME: SITUATION OF THE HOLDING
AFTER DIVERSIFICATION
Heath farm continued as a social farm after the Social Farming across Border project ended.
Since the project, Simon and Jennifer have continued to welcome people with learning disabilities and mental health issues through different funding routes. 7

8. OBSERVATIONS
Annagh Social Farm Vision To have an integrated society where everyone is respected, valued and supported.
Annagh Social Farm Mission To enable those who avail of supports and wish to live and/or work on a rural farm, to actively participate in purposeful farm activities and be a valued person in that community. 8

9. PROFILE OF FARMER-PROMOTER
FULL NAME: Simon and Jennifer Bullock
AGE: 40+
GENDER: Husband and wife
EDUCATION: Simon: Agricultural College, BSc Business & Related Studies
Jennifer: Professional Occupational Therapist
YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Simon: years 25+ years
Jennifer 25+ years 9

10. QUERIES OR CONSIDERATIONS
Simon is the fifth generation of the Bullock family to live and work on this farm. After attending Agricultural college, Simon has improved the farm while maintaining the natural environment and currently manages the beef herd. Simon has experience in working with people with disabilities through the Riding for the Disabled and Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland. 10

11. QUERIES OR CONSIDERATIONS
Jennifer was brought up on a farm and also loves the outdoor environment. As a Senior Occupational Therapist, Jennifer has experience treating and working with people who have physical and learning disabilities and people with mental health issues. Also, Simon and Jennifer both have personal experience of the joys and challenges of caring for loved ones with a disability. 11

12. INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
Assisting with cattle/sheep farm activities
Feeding ducks and hens
Selling and buying of cattle
Erection of protective fencing 12

13. INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
Vegetable and herb planting
Flower bed planting and seed bed preparation
Window box and raised beds construction 13

14. INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
Soft and tree fruit planting
Moth trapping, identification, recording, and releasing
Wild bird feeding and identification 14

15. KEY PROCESS DESCRIPTION ON
SOCIAL FARMING
Process Description
Competence Description
Feeding animals
Knowledge:
Understanding the importance of eating properly for the animal and for the person to have good health.
Skills:
How to prepare food for the animals, how to plan when to feed them at the correct time, how to tidy up and keep food safe. Animals need interaction and working with animals and understanding their likes and dislikes helps them understand their own likes and dislikes. Animals give a structure and routine to the day.
Attitudes:
To accept the mood of the animal that it may not always be easy to fed it or it may not want to eat the food and relate this to themselves and other people. To be able to help and cooperate with the farmer to feed the animals. to develop flexibility to cope with unexpected situations.
Assisting with cattle/sheep farm activities
Understanding the importance of keeping the animals clean and checking their health to treat any cuts and wounds to avoid infections.
How to take care of animals to wash and keep them clean and help to treat them with medications. It helps people with learning difficulties to take responsibility and learn about their own needs and self worth
To relate positively to health professionals and accept that they may need to take medications to maintain their own health. 15

16. KEY PROCESS DESCRIPTION
ON SUSTAINABILITY
Process Description
Competence Description
Erection of protective fencing
Knowledge:
Why it is important for the farmer to maintain fences around the farm to keep the animals safe within the farm boundary and to protect people outside the farm so they are safe from the animals.
Skills:
Developing practical skills of how to build walls using stone, how to fix fences using wood and tools such as nails and hammers.
Attitudes:
To consider different needs. The needs of the animals to be safe inside and the needs of the public to be safe from animals. The responsibility to take care of people and animals.
Vegetable and herb planting
Flower bed planting and seed bed preparation
To know how food is grown and to understand that it takes time to plant the food and take care of it so that it will grow into healthy food.
How to use their hands and tools to weed, dig and prune plants so that it will grow.
To gain patience to know that sometimes things take a long time before you see results.
Learning about wildlife: Moth trapping, identification, recording, and releasing
Knowledge: To know the moths, birds, the trees and the wildflowers that grow around the farm. Skills: To learn their names and recognise them and how to protect wildlife. Attitudes: How to take reponsibility for taking care of something apart from themselves.. 16

17. Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults/ Children Suicide Awareness
RECOMMENDED TRAINING
First Aid
Farm Safety
Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults/ Children
Suicide Awareness
Epilepsy Training
Self Protection – how to calm potential aggression 17

18. Support Social Skills Community Team Work Confidence FARMER’S KEYWORDS18