The Farm

Inishfree is located in the heart of the Cotswolds, on the outskirts of the market town of Stroud.

We have over 3 acres of land and woodland, which will be transformed into a small holding with vegetable plots, animals, imaginative landscaping and building projects – all of this transformation will be carried out with much love, care and enthusiasm by the trianees working alongside a gardener, support workers and volunteers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the long run Inishfree is keen to combine with the local farming community to establish a model of diversification, finding new and sustainable uses for redundant buildings and land, and creating employment in the immediate locality through new enterprises.

Having experienced the effectiveness that Inishfree can provide for our trainees, our vision is to expand and establish a larger therapeutic community within a rural farm location. 
Benefits to local farmers and rural industries include

  • A supply of relevantly trained voluntary workers

  • Creation of wider markets for products and services, for example: market garden; farm shop; organic bakery; café; workshops; arts and crafts; exhibitions; festivals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits to the local community

  • Care of the local environment through sustainable forestry, organic growing methods, eco-sensitive energy and waste management

  • Re-use of redundant agricultural buildings

  • Creation of employment

  • Opportunities to market locally produced goods and services

  • Stimulation of the micro economy

Benefits to the wider community

  • Crime reduction due to work placements and employment

  • Greater potential for trainees to maintain stability and enhance employment opportunities

  • Reduced burden on already stretched and limited care services

  • Reduced burden on tax payers through crime reduction

  • Leveraging maximum benefit from statutory funding and spreading its benefits wide

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits to Inishfree’s residents  

  • Training in vocational skills: organic gardening; building and renovation; carpentry; animal husbandry; forestry; cooking, baking and preserving; dry stone walling; fencing; hedging; pottery;

  • Opportunity to live in the supportive environment that nature provides

  • Training in basic and life skills: literacy; numeracy; money management; communication skills; Taking responsibility and developing own initiatives in preparation for successful and sustainable re-integration into community living and the wider community/society

  • Therapeutic activity including counselling and biography work, movement, painting, massage, singing

  • Support in family reconciliation and liasing, advocacy with Social Workers, Probation Officers, Drug Workers and Doctors

  • Creation of jobs with farmers and other locally based enterprises

  • Genuine and effective integration and exchange, through enterprise, with the local community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At our present location we are catering for between 6 and 12 people every day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Breakfast, lunch and suppers – most diets catered for including vegetarian and vegan, diabetic, gluten free, sugar free – using wholefood products.

  • We use vegetables, salads, and fruits from our own smallholding. Summer fruits are made into jams, preserves, fruit juices and cordials and home made fruit ice cream. We also make autumn and winter chutneys.

  • The clay bread oven produces loaves of bread and pizzas.

  • Free-range eggs are provided by our much-loved hens..

Where possible we use organic produce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nishfree provides a catering service for local voluntary sector organisations, and bread and pizzas to order.


Community Pet Scheme

For our loved furry friends, we provide a holiday home whilst their owners are away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So far we have looked after a chinchilla, rabbits, guinea pigs, and an elderly dog that needed a little something special. Traumatised from fox attacks, we also have two chickens convalescing here at Inishfree.

Community Composting Scheme

In our previous premises we applied for and were successful in securing, funds to develop a community-composting scheme. It is still going strong.