I recently visited Brooke Farm, our employment training hub in Linby, to see the brilliant work that takes place.

Brooke Farm provides employment and training opportunities in a real work environment for adults who have a learning disability. The training lasts up to three years and prepares trainees to gain long term, paid employment.

What is unique about Brooke Farm is the fact that also it provides a much-valued service to the local community.

The café is incredibly popular with its selection of drinks, cakes and snacks, or a light lunch. It’s not unusual to find yourself waiting for a table when it’s busy.  For something extra special, afternoon tea can be booked. The people who take the orders in the café and prepare the food are trainees in food service, preparation and food hygiene.

Horticulture is a key training area at Brooke Farm and green-fingered trainees are taken through all the stages or planting, nurturing and plant care in the greenhouses and on the fruit farm. There are also a number of beehives and one of the trainees serves as the beekeeper, ensuring that the hives are healthy and productive. Once the plants, flowers and produce are ready to be picked, they are sold in the farm shop, by the retail trainees. Produce from the orchard is also sold in the farm shop, along with items from other suppliers, which supports the local economy. The farm shop also stocks gift hampers which are a big hit for occasions like Mothers’ Day or Christmas. These luxury hampers are made to order by some of the trainees.

Recently, Brooke Farm was asked to help Pulp Friction, another local training organisation, by growing flowers and plants for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  The plants needed a warm environment to survive the winter ahead of entering the ‘Growing Skills Garden.’ Members of both organisations worked together tending to the plants at Brooke Farm.  The Garden won a Silver-Gilt medal and the People’s Choice Award for Small Garden at the flower show.

The garden centre sells fresh flowers, hanging baskets and other plants grown on site, and also stocks a range of essentials for the garden.

Those who attend the training hub at Brooke Farm are supported in learning real life skills in food service, horticulture, retail and administration, preparing them to succeed in the world of work and helping them to live fully independent lives.

Visit our website for more information on Brooke Farm

Cllr Jonathan Wheeler, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Nottinghamshire County Council