WHEN TV gardening guru Monty Don took a group of drug addicts and young offenders to work on a farm there were concerns about whether this could really work as a form of therapy.

Now, four years after his hit TV series, care farming is widely used to help vulnerable people improve their physical and mental health. However, until now, little research has been done into the effectiveness of this practice.

The University of Worcester, in partnership with Care Farming West Midlands, is sponsoring a ground-breaking study to identify, describe and measure the full value of such initiatives. The research is being carried out by student Chris Leck, under the direction of Professor Dominic Upton, head of psychology at the University of Worcester, and Professor Nick Evans, director of the university’s centre for rural research.

Mr Leck said: “Farms contain animals, food crops and relatively undisturbed natural areas, all of which have been shown independently to provide benefits in relation to mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.

“It is too early to speculate on the final results of the study but levels of mental wellbeing have been found to increase in relation to how long an individual has been attending the farm, as have perceptions of the value of what they do in their lives and how positive they feel about themselves.”

A range of research techniques are being applied, with farmers, clients and carers providing personal data about changes that they feel have occurred as a direct result of time spent on the farm.

Edwin George has been attending Top Barn training centre, a care farm based at Top Barn Farm, near Worcester, for nine years. Since starting work at the farm two days a week his life has been given a new purpose.

“Before coming here I used to keep getting in trouble because I was drinking all the time,” he said. “I kept shoplifting and was in trouble with the police a lot. I drank because I was stressed and depressed.”

However, a chance meeting with a member of staff from the care farm changed Mr George’s life forever.

“I’ve been completely off the drink since I started coming here,” said the 40-year-old. “It’s given me something to do and something to look forward to. If I wasn’t coming here then I think I would still be drinking all the time.”

The farm grows vegetables and other crops and also cares for livestock.