Sussex Police Authority member Professor Gordon Bull has recently undertaken a project, working with a Brighton University intern Kirsty Brown, to research the benefits of Care Farms for Sussex. Care Farms are the therapeutic use of farm practice to help provide social, educational and health services for vulnerable groups of people.

Gordon and Kirsty have been researching the use of the care farm practice in countries across Europe with a view to putting forward a proposal to introduce care farms in Sussex as a pilot.

The proposal looks particularly at a pilot being introduced and Gordon has been working closely with Lewes Crime Reduction Partnership to facilitate both the research and the opportunity. As well as working with local farmers and the National Care Farming Initiative UK, Gordon and Sussex Police Authority have been working closely with the Sussex Pathways scheme to support and develop the initiative.

Professor Gordon Bull said: "This is an exciting opportunity to introduce this worthwhile and important project to Sussex. The Care Farm initiative is well known across Europe and has proven to be a valuable tool to help vulnerable groups of people. By working with Sussex Pathways and Lewes Crime Reduction partnership I think we are in a good position to get this pilot scheme up and running and to start making a positive difference to people's lives.

Click here to read the Care Farms report and click here to read the case study into the project.