On Mondays and Wednesdays we offer supportive therapeutic horticultural placements, for adults with life impacting difficulties such as mental health problems, addiction, and unemployment. Run by experienced team members, we utilise the host of opportunities that the smallholding presents as a means of providing meaningful activities and a platform for working alongside people while helping them navigate life. The hope is that people are able to boost their physical and emotional health through the exposure to creation, and have a safe environment to facilitate meaningful and supportive relationships. We have an accessible market garden with wheelchair accessible raised beds. We have a small flock of Jacob sheep, and bees, so for animal lovers there are opportunities to get involved with the care of these animals. For those needing solace, we have a beautiful wood with a chalk river running through it. Manna is a unique setting, offering both farming and horticultural activities, alongside creative workshops and skills learning. It is a place of enjoyable occupation as well as being a sanctuary for those who need space to recover.
The Market Garden
Our market garden is a work in progress (aren’t they all) that is, we are creating the garden from an acre of uncared for overgrown land. So there is still plenty to do! In the past few years, we have successfully planted hundreds of edible hedgerow and fruit trees, and produced and sold fruit and veg to locals via veg boxes. We have large wheelchair accessible raised beds which are very productive and the produce is organically grown.
Our animals
We have a small flock of Jacob sheep which is a rare breed. Ours are comfortable with human contact and as such are happy to be handled and a friendly bunch. They produce lambs in the spring and give much pleasure to us all throughout the year. We also have 2 bee hives, and are fairly new to the craft ourselves, so learning more as each year passes.
The woods and river
We have about an acre of rambling woods with a river that runs through it. It is a place of peace for those who seek it. There are opportunities for wood management skills as they have been untouched for many years, and over time we are gradually clearing and taming areas. We also engage in bushcraft activities, such as hedge laying and coppicing, and continue to plant indigenous trees to broaden the varieties. We have planted 20 truffle infused hazel trees with the hope for a valuable harvest in years to come.