Kadesh Community Farm helps young people
 An innovative South Norfolk Christian project has been reaching out to young people facing difficult social issues with the help of chicks, goats, ducklings and a Dexter cow.
Kadesh Community Farm is a project run from Diss Community Church and has received funding from Christian community trust Dreams and Visions.
The project started in February 2009 when the farmland was acquired in Palgrave near Diss. A group of 35 young people from local churches and from Robinswood Church, in Gloucester, along with members of the local community all pitched in to begin clearing the site.
Kadesh Community Farm is now home to 3 Golden Guernsey goats - 2 of which were born at the farm, 4 Gloucester Old Spot pigs, 4 Indian Runner ducks, a Dexter cow (due to give birth in April 2010), some Guinea Fowl and an ever-increasing range of chickens.
The project has received a lot of help and involvement from local churches and it has become a focus of the whole community. Every Wednesday the youth centre in Diss bring a group of young people to work on the farm. The students are able to take part in animal care, horticulture and eco-friendly building projects as well as learning about business enterprise. There are plans for a local counselling service to visit the farm with their clients for interactive therapy sessions with the animals.
One day a week a group of job-seekers come to the farm to do voluntary work including clearing ground, mucking out animals and building animal houses.
 Andi Roy, Teacher-in-charge, says, “The impact of the farm on the young people attending Kadesh has been exactly what we had hoped for. Some of the students we receive have severe behavioural issues but interacting with the animals teaches them to be gentle and patient. Seeing the goats born, and the chicks and ducklings hatching, brought out emotions in them that surprised them I think! One of our favourite stories is of one of our year 11 students, Harry, a tough-talking young man with a red mohican and a criminal record for assault, cradling a baby chick in his lap all day and refusing to go home because his chick might miss him! A few of our young people have now attended church and one of them went on the Snoccash summer camping trip, without knowing anyone else, and really enjoyed himself.”
“Our first two pigs have just been sent to slaughter and the young people have enjoyed eating the sausages and learnt a valuable life-lesson regarding where their food comes from and the processes involved. We have four new rare-breed piglets arriving next week and a local farmer has just donated a Dexter cow with its calf!”
From June the farm will be open on Saturdays to the public for them to come and see the animals and to use the picnic area.
Click here to read Kadesh Community Farm's blog
If you are interested in being involved in any aspect of the Kadesh Community Farm project, please call Andi or Steve for more information on 07941 333455 or the DC3 office on 01379 644223.
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