Holifield Farm Project
Situated along the Helford Estuary in West Cornwall, Holifield Farm is an education centre and community project with many friends, constructed and grown on 32 acres of arable land, scrubland, and woodland. The aim of Holifield Farm Project is to provide holistic and inclusive services for the local community, while promoting a model for sustainable living. We operate commercial businesses, with the principles of maintaining affordability for local people — so that anyone can benefit from our services — and establishing and extending ecological practices and infrastructure.
Our Story
Holifield Farm Project was founded over 30 years ago by Robert West. When he purchased the land in 1992, the site consisted of just a few fields and shrubs, without any buildings. Robert built a studio and workshop from which to run an education facility - working initially with young people from urban areas, and then transitioning into a day centre for adults with learning disabilities.Since then, we’ve built a Tea Room for the day centre, a farmhouse, a hostel, an amphitheatre, many workshops & studios, an outdoor shelter & events venue (the ‘pizza dock’!), a nature trail, polytunnels, allotments, solar PV, an eco spa, and planted thousands of trees and created several orchards. Between investing in renewable energy, and reclaiming a substantial amount of material, we’re proud to say that we are at least 75% self-sufficient in energy consumption.
Business
Our main business is our Day Centre facility for adults with learning disabilities which operates 5 days a week. We offer a range of activities including horticulture, animal care, conservation, country walks, arts and crafts, drama, dance, music, and yoga. We throw events such as Apple Day, and organise and host the annual Big Tent Festival, an accessible weekend camping event with music and performances.We also run an eco hostel, built from reclaimed and recycled materials, with a solar thermal heating system. As well as being a community space for collective meals, fundraisers, day centre activities, film nights, craft fairs, and more, the hostel is visited by people from all around the globe - families, friends, divers, botanists, schools, researchers, people on wellness retreats, hikers, bikers, kayakers, cyclists, doctors - and many people just looking to get out of the city and reconnect with nature.
Community
All of our projects are run or supported by members of the community living onsite. We work together to make our home low impact and sustainable, and this means people join us with all kinds of disciplines. Current dwellers among us are variously skilled in building, carpentry, metalwork, mechanics, plumbing, social care, pottery, painting, horticulture, music, photography, cooking, baking, forestry - and throwing festivals!
Zelda School
The sister project is Zelda School, a Steiner-influenced outdoor education facility for children between the ages of 2 and 7. Starting out as just tutoring in a lounge for a few children, demand caused Zelda School to look for a place to host an expanded centre - and in 2008, Robert & Amy West agreed to site the school here. The school achieved a rating of ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in its last assessment, and is a fantastic model of how alternative schooling can be a more nurturing experience.
Events
In addition to the Big Tent Festival, we also host the Holifield Summer Party on the first weekend of August each year, as well as fundraisers and other events such as Roots Gathering, Kernow Transformed, and Kernowtopia, and used to run the popular Holifair Family Festival for many years. This year we have a new event called Holifield’s Fire Pit: Flame & Fable - check it out below!
Big Tent Festival
The Holifeild Big Tent Festival is a lively and inclusive music festival tailored for adults with learning difficulties. Set against picturesque surroundings, it offers diverse performances, workshops, and interactive activities, ensuring a memorable experience for all attendees. With a focus on accessibility and accommodation, volunteers and professionals create a vibrant atmosphere where everyone feels welcomed and celebrated. This festival showcases the transformative power of music to unite and uplift, fostering joy and belonging with every beat. Buy tickets here.
Flame & Fable
Holifield Farm presents Flame & Fable - a grassroots performing arts event showcasing local talent. Music, poetry, and performance under the stars in Holifield's firepit with a big blazing bonfire! Bar, food, and camping. 5pm - 2am, 8th of June 2024 Buy tickets here.
Dockwood
In Falmouth Harbour, 2003, the Queen’s Wharf dock burned down after being in operation for over 70 years. The remnants of the dock were likely to be incinerated, but Holifield stepped in and the dockers agreed to donate it to us - salvaging over 3000 tonnes of gum and greenheart. A short walk around the farm and you’ll see how instrumental this wood has been for us - the hostel, workshops, shelters, sheds, fences, fire pits, posts, the farmhouse, chairs, tables, benches - for its strength and versatility. Over 20 years later and we’re still using it for projects every day. From Holifield, the wood has made its way around to other parts of the county - including to the Ghanaian sculptor El-Anatsui, whose work with the tropical hardwood can be seen at the Eden Project. (Photo of fire, photo of El-Anatsui’s Aziza Gate
The Holifield Day Centre
A beautiful 32-acre farm in Gweek where adults with a varying range of support needs can safely experience a wide choice of activities.
Our Activities
Our Values
We believe in choice and control for everyone, that everyone is unique and valuable, and has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We believe in equality and social inclusion for everyone.
Coming to Holifield
We are contracted to Cornwall Councils Social Care Department and fulfil all the necessary requirements and standards of a high quality, modern service.
Our Pricing
£50.00 per day excluding transport. Days can be split into half days however we offer a minimum of one day per week of service.
Get In Contact
If you would like to find out more about our Day Opportunities please arrange a visit. We can answer any questions you may have.
Caring for animals.
We are lucky to have some wonderful rescue animals who we share our days with.We have our cow, hens, cutest guinea pigs (who love cuddles), duck and goose and we also have a little walk to the top field to feed Sylvia the cow and collect eggs from our chickens, looking after them as part of our daily routine.
Music & Songwriting
Music is a key element of our week at Holifield and an essential tool for supporting communication. We use Makaton for our singing and signing and have much enjoyment through karaoke performances of well-known songs.Wellbeing is enhanced with our sound healing sessions and at least once a week we incorporate all the instruments and have a fun jam. We also support people who have written lyrics and poems to create their own songs, which we have performed at our Big Tent Festival, our home-grown shows, Christmas events and Apple days.
Live Events & Celebrations
Alongside celebrating the seasonal festivities in the wheel of the year and our annual accessible Big Tent Festival, we also celebrate and support clients through their everyday personal life events and circumstances, through writing, song, story and shared experiences.
Mixed Arts & Crafts
We are lucky to have lots of craft materials including a woodworking area and a very creative team, meaning we have a huge variety to stimulate creative minds every day.A professional pottery workshop takes place twice a week and within this we also make wonderful unique creations for our events and festivals. We also link with outside projects and have made films, held exhibitions in museums and visit art galleries and places of interest.
Wellbeing, Meditation & Yoga
At Holifield, wellbeing, feeling safe and nurtured are vital for clients to be able to enjoy, develop and grow. Wellbeing activities are interspersed throughout the week and include a range of gentle movement, yoga, mindfulness, guided meditations, and sound healing.Sessions are planned taking into careful consideration the needs of those attending and clients also have the option to enjoy hand massages, footbaths and manicures.
Dance & Drama
Once a week we put on our dancing shoes and join ‘Fit 2 Wiggle’, a community Zumba group, at the Gweek village hall. We also love to put our favourite music on and dance here at Holifield, which is great to lift our spirits.Dressing up and creating shows and performances together, including songs and collaborative script-writing, supports confidence, self esteem and communication skills and activities are adapted to include all.
Outdoors & Nature
Holifield is surrounded by natural beauty and our daily walk to look after our animals is full of idyllic
scenery. Situated in a wonderful valley we also have nature walks to our wildlife pond and include seasonal themed educational activities.
Horticulture & Gardening
We cultivate vegetables, herbs, flowers and some fruits in our conservatory year round and have
accessible raised beds for planting in our lovely garden area. Learning how to grow food and harvesting straight to our plates is very rewarding.
Cooking & Baking
Learning how to prepare basic healthy meals and developing safe kitchen competency is part of our routine twice a week, when we have an optional shared meal together. Baking healthy delicious treats, smoothies and soups additionally support life skills.
Outings
Our location is excellent for visits to the beach, local museums, art galleries, animal sanctuaries, places of interest and collaborating with other centres and projects. We also have a lovely community in Gweek and venture into the village for outings and educational tasks.
Contact Us
If you would like to find out more about Holifield then please use the form below to send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. If you are interested in arranging a visit to the day centre we also offer a free taster day.
Alternatively, please call on 01326 221017
