INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH
to Christmas, the co-workers are busy making wooden reindeer, bird tables, wreaths and candles, all ready for the gift section of the shop. And if they’re not keen on the woodwork and crafty side of things, there’s plenty of work to do getting the tunnels ready for winter. “In the mornings, I make a list of all the jobs,” says Mark, “and everyone picks what they’d most like to do. At lunchtime, if they’re not enjoying it, they can switch to a different task. Each co-worker has a goal plan; whatever they’ve been doing, they can tick the red box if they needed a lot of help, amber if they needed a bit of help and green if they could do it independently. When they get to green, they move on to the next goal, which is slightly harder. So everyone achieves something, and has something to work towards. At Prospects Trust, we focus on our co-workers’ abilities, not their disabilities.” Co-workers have a committee meeting once a month where they plan some of the projects the farm will undertake, including fundraising ideas to help other, external charities. “This year, they have organised a sponsored walk to raise money to build a totally accessible loo in our Ely shop,” says Mark. “But in the past we’ve fundraised to create a garden for a local person who had been struck down by
“Many families find it difficult to find meaningful activities for adults with learning disabilities”
into their own containers so that we don’t waste packaging. We also have liquid refills of things like cleaning products, laundry detergents, and hair and body washes. It’s a cafe, too, so you can go in for a coffee and cake, and some of our co- workers are being trained to be baristas; we offer a range of different supported training placements for co-workers.” The shop has been a huge success so far, and the future looks bright for both Snakehall Farm and Prospects Unwrapped. “We’ve done everything in an organic, ethical way since we started,” says Mark, “and it’s nice that the rest of the world seems to be gradually coming round to our way of thinking!” Prospects Trust, Snakehall Farm, Swaffham Road, Reach, Cambridgeshire CB25 0HZ, 01638 741551
serious illness, and also raised money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. It’s really amazing to see how our co-workers want to do things to help others and give back to their communities.” The last few months have been an exciting time for the Prospects Trust, as now the organic vegetables from Snakehall Farm also go to the trust’s new shop in Ely, Prospects Unwrapped, which opened last September. As the name suggests, it’s a plastic-free shop, in a great location, at the front of the landmark Lighthouse Centre on Lynn Road, and has a focus on produce that is good for the planet as well as the customers. “All our produce is organic, seasonal and local,” says Mark. “As well as the veg, we sell a range of handmade, unique gifts, and nuts, seeds, pulses, grains and so on that people can decant
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