Pennyhooks welcomes 35 post-19 autistic adults every week. Some attend weekly, others daily, depending on their needs. All are offered many opportunities to develop social and working skills. Skills such as being part of a team, listening to and following instructions, practising and persevering, through learning a wide range of practical skills and work-based activities in animal care, conservation, horticulture, woodwork, rural crafts, baking and more. Our students are given the opportunity both to develop specialisms in particular areas of interest or aptitude and to try new activities and skills.
Professional and experienced support is critical to the success of our young people’s developing skills and all our students are supported by a talented team of staff with a wide range of skills, both practical and educational, and with an enhanced understanding of Autism Spectrum differences.
Pennyhooks is unique, offering post-19 young people and adults with complex autism the opportunity to take part in specialised step-by-step work-based training. With support from one to one experienced staff, students start their learning through an adapted Open Colleges Network (OCN) Countryside Skills Course.
Being taught initially to care for the animals and given hands-on practice, students show a good ability to learn and build on their skills. Our training programme has grown in response to what the students themselves have shown they are capable of doing if given the time and opportunity.
Pennyhooks can offer modules in animal care, woodwork, horticulture, rural crafts, conservation and cooking. Supported by specialist teachers and skilled support workers, and headed up by the CEO’s own range of countryside and educational skills, the students are now producing and selling a range of quality products. These include bee and bird houses, organic eggs, cakes, preserves, rural craft and woodwork products, which we sell at our open days and at local outlets.
We also encourage students to develop important ‘soft’ work-related skills such as listening, working together, and having an eye for quality. While those at Pennyhooks would find employment in a mainstream, urban environment very difficult, on the farm they thrive.
We believe in our students and support their abilities and willingness to learn using the farm environment. We are committed to our ethos of kindness and respect to support their individual needs.
Community engagement is central to our work. Pennyhooks is a small but busy farm with many links to local businesses, services, interest and volunteer groups. We encourage engagement through connections with local people, especially by opening the farm.
Throughout the year, in May, June and November we host sale events. See our Facebook page for dates of our upcoming events. During these events the farm is open to the public to come and buy our products, including delicious homemade cakes and to enjoy the farm. We also share our donkeys by taking part in Shrivenham’s Palm Sunday Procession through the village each year.
We also host smaller community events such as our Tea Times Together, where our young people bake for local community groups and host them for tea with homemade cakes and biscuits, a visit to our shop and time with the animals, all in the beautiful environment of our Butterfly Room, overlooking the farm. We believe such experiences enrich both the lives of our young people with Autism and members of our local community alike.
If you belong to a local community group and would like to know more about our ‘Tea Times Together’ events, please e-mail us at pennyhooksfarmtrust@gmail.com.
Recently, a farm archaeologist who lives locally but works overseas, has made a connection between the farm and a specialist academy of secondary aged students. They now visit annually, using the farm as a field study centre.
The students take part in a Wildlife Group to monitor and record the farm’s rich wildlife. Their work is assisted by the camera work of our Trustee, Paul Colley, who takes live and still footage. The students use this information to keep detailed weekly records and drawings.
Our students are involved in making a wide range of products from wildflower coasters and stencilled cards through to beehouses and now also wooden stools using green woodworking techniques. Visit us at our events to view and buy them.
