We are a meaningful work, skills and training provider for people with additional needs, learning disabilities or autism - our Co-workers! Our supported real work placements for Co-workers are offered on our 18 acre organic care farm in rural Cambridgeshire, in our Refill Greengrocery Cafe in the heart of Ely; The Prospects Trust Unwrapped and out and about on our Garden Team. Our Co-worker placements are open to people with additional needs. Snakehall Farm is a real farm providing real work experience producing sustainable, seasonal organic products and produce., our farm gates are open to new opportunities. As a socially inspiring enterprise we grow differently, retail differently and provide care placements differently since 1989.
The Prospects Trust supports over 70 Co-workers in all seasons across two sites and 6 social enterprise ventures. Our gates are open to opportunities.
Prospects Trust at Snakehall Farm is a vibrant working and learning environment. The farm is managed by a friendly, committed and organised team who foster a real community spirit. It is rare to find a social firm which provides such a welcoming, accessible and supportive environment in combination with an efficient professional approach. We have a very positive ongoing relationship with Snakehall Farm and are always delighted to have the opportunity to work with them.
Individual Curriculum Team at Cambridge Regional College
CRC
I love The Prospects Trust’s Farm Shop. It is the one place where cucumbers don’t come shrink wrapped and tomatoes that taste like a perfect summer day!
We are creating The Orchard – a new complex needs safe space for therapeutic horticulture for Co-workers with profound or multiple disabilities. Working on a 1:1 or small group provision, The Orchard will nurture in nature while creating small work based activities linked to wider growing plan of Snakehall Farm.
Cabin Viva Danny and Snakehall Farm Co-workers show just how big our new Co-worker Zone in the Orchards will be when built
We are recruiting for a Therapeutic Horticulture Lead to help shape this new provision and we have lots of interest in new placement starters from September 2022. If you are interested in the role to help shape our Complex Needs provision on Snakehall Farm please check out our vacancies page. If you are interested in a supported placement in The Orchards or want to know more about how we grow opportunities for people with additional needs take a look at our Placements Information or call the office on 01638741551 for more details or to arrange a farm tour.
We are fundraising to complete this project over the summer. We have received funding from many donors and are seeking additional capital grants and donations. You can donate online on our Project Page https://localgiving.org/charity/prospectstrust/project/TherapeuticHorticultureOrchard/ If you are interested in supporting the capital development of this and other projects at The Prospects Trust please contact Maz Baker on 01638741551 to discuss in more detail.
Farmer Mark and Trustee Peter meet to discuss the possibilities in our triangle field of dreams
Snakehall Farm has always been a haven for all things green but this year we have a grand plan to go super green. No not just growing more beans, sprouts or salad.
This year we are going to grow wild!
We have secured £10,000 from Together for our Planet (Lottery Funding), we have an active Community Crowdfunder with Aviva and we have plan to transform our 7.5 acre field into a community green space with a difference. We are re-wilding, tree planting, bug spotting and carbon offsetting with our new project.
You can donate to our £3,000 Crowdfunder up until 29th June 2022, this will show you how close we are to reaching our target:
You can easily scan to donate to our Crowdfunder here:
We need lots of help! If you can donate your time, your skills, your tools or even plant hire we want to hear from you. Perhaps you can sponsor some larger trees or just want to offset your own carbon by helping us create a green space for the planet in a corner of Cambridgeshire.
We are going to continue to tend to the saplings in this field, add more hedges and plant bigger trees.
We are going to add wildflower meadows and a community meeting space in the heart of the field of green dreams.
We are going to add accessible pathways and mowed nature trails around the site.
We will dig two scrapes to help promote the biodiversity, with a pond dipping platform and seats to just drink in the fresh air.
Draft Plan of the Field
Please get in touch if you are able to support our field of dreams and help us grow wild.
Well come on then and show us alllllllll the moves at our first ever Snakehall Farm Silent Disco. You raise your arms like you just don’t care and help raise funds for our new Co-worker zone – The Orchards. This is a FUNdraiser not to be missed.
The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on Saturday 9th July with two timed disco slots, remember to pick the timed slot at the booking. Session 1 6:30 to 8 or Session 2 8 to 9:30. All ticket holders are welcome to attend the whole event. Disco then Eat or Eat then Disco the choice is yours, or book two slots and dance the night away!
There is a photo booth with a keepsake photo to take home included in the price so please dress to impress.
Soft Drinks Bar, Food Stall and Raffle available to buy on the night. Remember your cash.
The Team at Prospects Trust Unwrapped in Ely are getting excited about improving the eco credentials and kerb appeal of their unique Refill Store and Farm Cafe with your help! With only a few more days to go the project needs a few more supporters to join the eco-crowd.
To find out more about the springy green new shoots at Unwrapped and how to back a great project please visit:
Our Enterprise Kitchen at Snakehall Farm is going to transform Learning Disability Work Based support one vegan roll at a time thanks to a grant from Global Make Some Noise this springtime.
The Prospects Trust is a very lucky recipient of both a project and a core grant from Global Make Some Noise, which is going to help develop work based learning and catering kitchen skills development for young people with additional needs and/or autism.
Global’s Make Some Noise, the official charity of the Media & Entertainment group Global, has distributed grants to 60 small charities and projects across the UK following its determined fundraising efforts in 2021. Thanks to the incredible generosity of listeners across Global’s radio brands – Capital, Heart, LBC, Classic FM, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA and Gold, The Prospects Trust located in Cambridgeshire has received £45,000 from Global’s Make Some Noise to support its vital work to provide meaningful work and support to people with additional needs.
The money granted to The Prospects Trust will fund the development of The Enterprise Kitchen a training kitchen at Snakehall Farm, creating 1 part time job and providing new placement opportunities for people with additional needs and enable life-changing benefits to families and individuals in the local community. It will also cover the cost of a programme of community and volunteer events hosted at Snakehall Farm throughout 2022.
Maz Baker, Strategic Development Manager at The Prospects Trust said “The past two years our rural local charity has had to really dig deep to survive to thrive, with all the challenges thrown at our care farm by the pandemic, this boost from Global’s Make Some Noise, is going to get us back on track, transforming lives differently and growing opportunity for our Co-workers, people with additional needs. Spring has sprung at Snakehall Farm thanks to this grant”.
Now in its eighth year of service, Global’s Make Some Noise has supported over 400 local charities whose remarkable work has helped a total of 150,000 people across the UK. The money raised has paid for food banks, befriending projects for the elderly and isolated, cancer wellbeing programmes, domestic abuse refuges, employment training and physical therapy for people with disabilities.
Emma Bradley, Director of Global Goodness at Global said: “It’s been an incredibly tough couple of years for everyone. With the cost of living continuing to increase many more people will turn to local groups for help, putting extra strain on their resources. So we’re pleased to be able to help small charities at the centre of communities and will continue to raise money and awareness for their vital work.”
For more information about supported placements in our Enterprise Kitchen visit our Placement Information page or call our Charity HQ on 01638741551.
Our Enterprise Kitchen crew are taking Wholesale Orders for cakes, bakes, preserves and chutneys made onsite at Snakehall Farm in our 5* catering hub, for more information please email us at Unwrapped[@]prospectstrust.org.uk or pop into Prospects Trust Unwrapped, Ely Monday to Saturday.
We have made a “Doorstep” Co-worker film! Last month we delivered Prospects Parcels to our socially isolated Co-workers, safely being supported in their homes during lockdown. We are all missing having our Co-workers on site at Snakehall Farm, serving customers at Unwrapped and keeping everyone’s garden’s tidy in the community. It is the strangest of times so we wanted to share a little joy and connect our people back to our charity.
We are a CARE farm still farming, we are a SOCIAL enterprise still trading but without the people its the trickiest of times. Please share our Keep Tilly Tractor Farming film, please Donate if you can and please stay safe.
A big thank you to:
all the Co-worker cast (and the behind the scenes support crew – their families and carers),
to all the Co-workers who didn’t want to be captured in film but have their own Tilly on a Stick at home and can’t wait to come back,
to all those who have supported The Prospects Trust over the past 30 years and are continuing to support us right now,
to all of our new and loyal customers who are shopping local and keeping our enterprise trading,
to all of our new fundraisers and donors picking a small charity to support we seriously do a little dance for every £5 that gets donated
to all of our staff (either staring in the film), working behind the scenes or trying to turn their own gardens into farms during furlough,
to our Trustee Board for allowing the already stretched resources to make time for this joy,
And a special mention to the talents of our Support Workers Adam T and Adam V for the film and music magic.
Simply donate your lockdown Haircut or beard trim cost savings to our Bad Hair Do Care fundraising appeal and help keep our farm growing while our Co-workers are socially shielding.
Step 2: Share your Bad Hair photo on our @TillyTractor Facebook Page with your donation AND nominate your usual hairdresser or barber* to win a Produce Hamper full of goodies from The Prospects Trust at Snakehall Farm & Prospects Trust Unwrapped. Use the #BadHairDoCare.
Step 3: Grab the scissors and a bowl………………………..there’s only a week between a bad and a good haircut!
*for logistic reasons only please ensure your nominated hairdresser/barber is based in a 20 mile radius of CB25 0HZ or CB7 4EG,
We have until lunchtime of the April 22nd to raise £3000 in pledges. We want to Unwrap Unwrapped further and we need your help! Click here to go to the Aviva Crowdfunder Page and pledge your support to The Prospects Trust.
Prospects Trust Unwrapped opened in September 2019 and has started a refill revolution for the local consumers of Ely, but more vitally, it has become the little shop where magic happens. The Prospects Trust wanted to open a REAL shop to provide REAL work-based training opportunities for people with additional needs. It wanted to create an outlet for all the organic produce sown, grown and harvested by their Snakehall Farm Co-workers and it wanted to give Ely a different way to shop. In just six months, Unwrapped has been created, launched and now offers 18 placements per week to individuals with additional needs. Unwrapped has already supported 4 learners gain accredited qualifications in retail and food safety and has just enrolled a further 7 learners for 2020. Unwrapped has created retail opportunities for over 15 local eco artisans in their Craftisan Pods. Unwrapped has created a sustainable solution to single-use plastic with its novel Refill Larder Wall and loose produce baskets.
Co-workers creating new dishes from local produce
Now we want to UNWRAP the outside. We wish to transform the outside of the shop front into an accessible cafe area, with raised bed planters and cycle racks, doggie area and pushchair park. We want to offer more space for more locals to linger longer in our unique Unwrapped store. Your support will see us transform an old inaccessible gravel area into an upcycled, recycled and accessible seating area. By increasing the seating area outside we aim to attract more customers to be served by more Co-workers, helping us put their new found retail skills to the test with the ultimate aim of getting paid employment for our Unwrapped Trainees in their local community.
Prospects Trust Trainee Placements are now available, starting from September 2019, we are bringing a new way to learn on to the high street of Ely. We are looking to recruit 20 new Co-worker Trainees to be our first cohort to gain accredited qualifications in retail and food safety.
Trainee Placement Poster
Take a look at our flexible training programme, with 2 day placements starting from £50 per week. Download our Placement Pack or contact us on 01638 741551 for more information.
Thanks to a corporate volunteering work party from Illumina and the helping hands of our volunteer Al our Far Field Re-wilding project was well tended today. With a field of whips already planted, our team of helping hands took our rather retro tools to the very dry soil helping to ensure the wild weeds were away from the new saplings, boosting the survival rates of these new trees of the future. We spotted lots of new growth and the skies were filled with very beautiful Marbled White butterflies too, we have named our favourite Mabel.
Other volunteers helped with tending the brassicas and gave everywhere a much needed soak to keep the organic vegetables growing this very hot summer. We won’t mention the chicken hugs.
Our Co-workers presented all the volunteers with some Rosie Posies of flowers picked and arranged fresh from the farm this afternoon as a little thank you.
The Growers at Snakehall Farm hope that everyone finds time to connect with plants this bank holiday weekend. This week our Co-workers have been busy potting on the Toms! Meet Tom & Tom two of our Support Workers who like to grow differently here at Snakehall Farm. To find out more about working with us visit https://prospectstrust.org.uk/the-prospects-trust-job-ops/
Prospects Trust’s Staff and Co-workers, people with additional needs, celebrated National Tea Day at Snakehall Farm with a sunshiny brew sent from the English Tea Shop. The biggest debates of the day; to dunk or not to dunk and what’s the best biscuit? What takes your biscuit today?
Its our Snakehall Farm SuperMEN – the three Unfit Farriers who decided over their Christmas celebrations to set themselves a challenge and run the Cambridgeshire Half…….for The Prospects Trust Polytunnel Partners Appeal…..in Lycra with a difference!
Meet Joe Rose, Robert Rush and Billy Mulqueen our superhero fundraising stars who have raised over £1,800 by running their first half Marathon. You can still donate online or just perhaps get farm fit yourself by watching Batman and Robin do a little pre event warm up here
Tune into BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Gardening Programme this Sunday 07/03/21 at 10:30 am to hear all about the Prospects Trust and our plans to swing into Spring at Snakehall Farm, on our Gardening Team and at our shop in Ely; Prospects Trust Unwrapped. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p097pdr1
Our Strategic Development Manager, Maz Baker, will be talking about all the plans we have ready to grow lots of opportunities for people with additional needs at The Prospects Trust, including our Polytunnel Partners scheme for 2021.
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