Skylarks is the Care Farm and Education programme at Astley Vineyard, which provides:
• Nature connection & land skills
• Craft workshops & creative projects
• Community & well-being support
Based at family-run Astley Vineyard in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside, you’ll be given opportunities to learn about the wildlife in our woodlands, help look after the grapevines in the vineyard, and practice new land and horticulture skills.
We’ll also incorporate craft and nature art projects throughout the programme, aimed at building creative confidence and well-being. Workshops could include willow weaving, printmaking, woodworking and more.
The pace of the sessions will be relaxed, and we’ll have plenty of time for tea and coffee breaks.
Programmes for 2024
The programme will run between 1st April and 31st October 2024, and are available Monday-Thursday. Sessions must last a minimum of two hours.
More information and what to expect
This programme is suitable for young people and adults with mild to moderate mental health and learning needs. We can also host groups of school children.
The maximum group size we can host is 18. The group must be accompanied by a sufficient number of staff or volunteers to provide safe supervision and support.
No previous experience or skills in horticulture, viticulture or farming is needed. We will tailor the sessions to suit the interests and preferences of the group.
Unless the weather is particularly bad, most of the sessions will take place outdoors, so everyone should come suitably dressed. Outdoor boots or wellies are a must! We do have an indoor space to use for breaks, craft sessions, and if we need to take shelter from the weather. Hot drinks and biscuits will be provided during each session, but please bring any other refreshments or snacks you like.
Whilst the sessions are relaxed, we will be walking around the site which has uneven terrain and slopes, and will be doing activities of a physical nature. Everyone will need to have a reasonable level of mobility and fitness to comfortably take part.
We do not offer a transportation service to our site. The group is responsible for arranging their own transportation to the site.
About the group leader
Sessions will be led by artist and nature well-being facilitator, Daisy Askins. Daisy’s family owns the vineyard, so she knows the site well and will make you feel welcome here. Daisy has over 8 years’ experience delivering nature-based well-being projects across Worcestershire and Shropshire. She has qualifications in outdoor first aid, safeguarding, social forestry, therapeutic horticulture, and mental health support. Daisy also runs her own artistic practice based in Shropshire Vine Willow Wood
About Astley Vineyard
Planted in 1971, Astley Vineyard is a family run, single estate vineyard in Worcestershire. We are one of the oldest vineyards in the UK, located in the beautiful Severn valley, just 10 miles north of the cathedral city of Worcester. Astley Vineyard is committed to environmental sustainability and community support, and aims to impact the people we meet and the world we live in, in a positive way.
About the programme
Our Skylarks Care Farming and Education programme is funded by the Rural Payments Agency Countryside Stewardship Educational Access Scheme. The scheme aims to provide adults and children the opportunity to visit farms, and to learn, understand and become engaged with farming and the environment.
Find out more
Please email Daisy at skylarks@astleyvineyard.co.uk to find out more. We can then arrange a meeting, where Daisy can give you a tour of the estate and we can talk more about how the sessions could work with your group. Once confirmed, we’ll send through session plans, risk assessments and other details for you to review and approve.
