A FARM providing valuable experience for people with disabilities and mental health issues has received a £3,000 boost.

Ferndown-based High Mead Farm, which also offers support to those recovering from illness, has used the cash from the Hall & Woodhouse Community Chest Awards to renovate a barn and create a new workshop for mechanical and woodwork projects.

More than 80 people currently visit the farm on a weekly basis and rely on the activities provided by the 30 volunteers, which include arts and crafts, construction, growing crops and woodwork. The therapeutic experiences have huge wellbeing benefits that aid recovery by engaging with the animals and nature.

Hall & Woodhouse also donated more than £1,000 to purchase a new chicken coop, which has increased the farm’s egg sales and created more egg collection activities which the co-farmers enjoy.

The White Hart pub, which is part of the independent family-owned Dorset brewer’s business partnership (tenanted) estate, is also a loyal supporter of High Mead Farm and regularly fundraises for the charity through its book club, with Hall & Woodhouse matching the funds raised in the past by the book club, to double the amount donated.

Charlotte Sergeant, High Mead Farm office manager, said: “We greatly appreciate the support that the Community Chest Awards have provided us with, and in particular we give thanks to Mark Woodhouse for his continued support over the years. The farm is going from strength to strength and we look forward to supporting our community for many more years. We could not have achieved what we have without the help of our volunteers and the funding we have received thus far.”

Applicants have until Friday, May 31 to submit their grant request. More information and application forms can be downloaded at hall-woodhouse.co.uk/communitychest and then emailed to communitychest@hall-woodhouse.co.uk for consideration.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of September 2019 and cheques will be presented to the successful organisations at an awards evening in October 2019.