The Country Trust

We're delighted that VED1 payments will continue through Capital Grants funding.

Don't miss out - when it opens in July the application window is expected to be short, and funding is limited. Once the money is gone, it's gone!

To help farmers make the most of this opportunity, we've created A Farmer’s Guide to VED1 Educational Access Grants, available next week.

VED1 payments enable farmers to open their farms for hands-on school visits, directly supporting children in their confidence, curiosity and connection to the land that sustains us all.

Curious to learn more? Comment below...

Through the partnership between The Country Trust and The Crown Estate, more children are getting the opportunity to visit working farms and build a real connection to food, farming, and the natural world.

At a recent visit to Wiverton Hall Farm, children from Nottingham stepped into a completely new environment as they climbed into tractors, met animals up close, and discovered where their food really comes from.

For many, it was their first time on a farm. Children were full of questions, from how tractors work to why cows aren’t all black and white.

A huge thank you to the Stubbs family for hosting such a thoughtful and engaging visit.

👉 Read more via the link in the comments.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Tesco Produce Team who are taking on the Three Peaks Challenge this month in support of The Country Trust.

On 25th June, 14 colleagues will attempt to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours, with the ambitious goal of raising £25,000 to help connect more children facing disadvantage with food, farming, and nature for the first time.

A huge thank you to everyone involved - we’ll be cheering the team on every step of the way!

👉 You can support the fundraiser here: https://wonderful.org/fundraisers/ndeXW

Some great images of the first Warburtons visit of the year to Gander Farm yesterday.

Verity, The Country Trust Coordinator remarked, "lots of dodging rain showers but the children were so engaged and an absolute joy to spend time with!".

Belonging, mattering and the land - by Hannah Jones McVey

‘In education, belonging has become something of a keystone concept. Schools increasingly recognise that when children feel they belong, attendance improves, behaviour settles and wellbeing grows…

You can read the piece in full on our website : www.countrytrust.org.uk

On Residentials and Farm Discovery visits, moments like these become real life...

“I have heard sounds today in real-life that I have only ever heard on TV before” - Pupil speaking to one of our Coordinators.

What is your favourite sound in nature? ⬇️

🪨 What stories could the soil in your school’s local area tell your pupils?

At The Country Trust, we are providing teachers at eligible schools with free resources to make their lessons more engaging, hands-on, and easy to deliver.

Designed to support the National Curriculum, we are encouraging pupils to explore rocks and soils beyond the classroom.

Our ready-to-use online resource includes:
📚 6 fully planned lessons
✔ Whiteboard-ready supplementary resources, printable worksheets and word banks
🏫 Clear curriculum links and a glossary of key terms
🎥 Engaging films and supporting resources to bring learning to life

Know a KS2 teacher who’d find this useful? Please feel free to share this with them 🌱

Links to find out more via the links in the comments.

Children are growing up further away from the natural world than ever before.

Our programmes plant seeds of connection between children, food, and the land that sustains us.

With your support, more children can experience it for themselves.

👉 You can donate via the link in the comments.

What happens when children don’t just learn about food, but see where it comes from?

At Grangetown Primary School, pupils have been visiting working farms through The Country Trust for the past three years, meeting farmers, spending time with animals, and learning how food is produced.

Last summer, they visited Low Tranmire Farm. Months later, that experience came full circle, when beef from the same farm appeared in their school’s community shop.

Amy Wren, host farmer, said, “We wanted to donate some beef not only to raise funds for the school, but to provide that link for the children… so they could see that the food they eat comes from the animals they’d seen on the farm.”

Connection to the natural world isn’t just about a single visit - it’s about helping children understand where food comes from, and seeing that connection reflected in everyday life.

At Grangetown Primary School, that connection is becoming part of everyday school life, from the farms pupils visit to the food they grow and share.

👉 Read the full story via the link in the comments.