Go Team Denbury!

Denbury Homes lends a hand at Suffolk community farm

Eleven members of the Denbury Homes team swapped the office for the outdoors, spending a day volunteering at Red Rose Community Farm in Suffolk.

Set up by The Befriending Scheme, the farm opened in March 2023 and offers a safe, supportive outdoor learning environment for people with learning disabilities and special educational needs, as well as those struggling with poor mental health. It also helps people gain work experience and qualifications.

The volunteers tackled mowing, tidying, painting animal pens and putting up a wooden gazebo, giving farm users a sheltered outdoor space all year round.

Ashley Richardson, Farm Manager, says, “The tasks that they managed to complete in one day would have taken us months to finish!” Shaded space is vital as summers get hotter, she added, whether for lunch, planting seeds or even a game of Boccia.

Denbury Homes Managing Director, Joshua Hopkins, says, “It was a real team effort, and we are proud to have made a tangible difference that will support the farm’s regular volunteers and visitors.”

The farm supports on average 15-18 adults and young people each day, alongside weekly Care Farming sessions for local primary schools, and SEND Family Farm days in the school holidays.

The day was arranged with Suffolk Community Foundation. Denbury Homes has given almost £1.8m to East Anglian charities since 2017; for information about the grants, contact the Foundation.

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