About the project

'Let Nature Feed Your Senses' is a Big Lottery funded project run in partnership between LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and Sensory Trust.  We are engaging people with nature, food and farming on a network of farms and nature reserves across England. 

Across England there are over eighty five farmers and nature reserve managers hosting Let nature feed your senses visits. Every farm and nature reserve is unique and activity on each site will vary from week to week, season to season. The hosts are passionate about encouraging a love of nature through food and farming and want to share this with groups who have found accessing the outdoors a challenge. The hosts are keen to adapt their visits so that everyone gets a chance to participate.The project is working with people that currently cannot or do not access the countryside because of age, ability or social situation.

Let nature feed your senses specific beneficiary groups are as follows:

• People who have a disability
• People who live in an area of high social deprivation (10% most deprived Super Output Area, regionally)
• People aged 65 or over
• Schoolchildren who either have a disability, live in an area of high social deprivation or attend a school that has been unable to previously access farm visits

“I can see that LNFYS beneficiaries are different. It’s about getting people out onto farms who would be unable to visit the countryside without the project – breaking down barriers.”

Julie Plumley, Host Site, South West. September 2010

About LEAF

LEAF works to "inspire and enable prosperous farming that enriches the environment and engages local communities".

LEAF develops management tools and sets up demonstration sites to show farmers the principles behind Integrated Farm Management (IFM) and how profitable farming and nature conservation go hand in hand. LEAF also gives the public an insight into sustainable production and consumption through farm visits and in the market place with LEAF Marque.

LEAF works nationwide with over 70 demonstration sites, hosting visits to invited groups, and attracting some 14,000 visitors annually. With over 18 years of experience identifying sites and farmers to engage with the general public, LEAF is well placed to ensure relevant and enjoyable encounters with nature.

LEAF Marque provides a strong independently verified food quality assurance scheme that takes the consumer right back to the provenance of their food and gives farmers the recognition for their environmental commitment.

LEAF takes every opportunity to ‘connect’ with the general public. LEAF’s 'Open Farm Sunday' is now the farming industry’s annual open day. In 2009, 430 farms welcomed a massive 140,000 people to experience a taste of farming and the countryside.
www.leafuk.org
www.farmsunday.org

About Sensory Trust

Sensory Trust is a UK organisation promoting and supporting inclusive environmental design and management to build richer connections between people and the natural world. The Trust’s multi-disciplinary team combine expertise in environmental management, community engagement, training delivery, site access review and planning, communications and information design.

Sensory Trust is experienced in addressing the barriers to access that prevent use of the outdoors by socially excluded communities, particularly older people, disabled people and families and carers. All aspects of accessibility are covered, from physical access and site design, through information and interpretation, to education and policy issues. In reality, access improvements and engaging through the senses benefits a wide range of people, for example people with mobility impairments, young children, older people and people with chronic health conditions. These improvements also benefit families, friends and carers.
www.sensorytrust.org.uk