About
Our Heritage
Our Heritage
Longmead Community Farm is rooted in the Dorset countryside and has a long-standing commitment to supporting children, young people and families through therapeutic, relationship-based work
Our Story
Longmead Community Farm is an independent charity based in the Dorset countryside. Since our beginnings, Longmead has been a place of welcome, care and connection — offering people time, space and support away from the pressures of everyday life.
Set within a rural landscape, Longmead has grown into a community resource that brings people together through shared activity, creativity and connection with nature. Over the years, we have worked alongside children, young people, families and adults facing a wide range of challenges, offering a calm, supportive environment where relationships can be rebuilt and confidence restored.
Longmead’s story is rooted in a simple belief: that meaningful experiences, practical activity and human connection can help people feel stronger, more hopeful and more able to move forward.
Who We Are
Longmead Community Farm is governed by a dedicated Board of Trustees and delivered by a small, committed staff team, supported by skilled facilitators and volunteers.
Our team brings together experience from family support, education, wellbeing, creative practice and land‑based work. We are united by shared values of compassion, inclusion and respect, and by a commitment to working with people rather than doing things to them.
Our trustees provide strategic oversight and governance, ensuring that Longmead remains true to its charitable purpose, financially sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.
Together, staff, facilitators, volunteers and trustees form a supportive community that makes Longmead a safe and welcoming place for all.
Beginnings
Established as an independent charity in November 2008, Longmead Community Farm was created to provide a safe rural space where families experiencing crisis could step away from daily pressures and focus on rebuilding relationships together. From the outset, the farm was designed as a place of calm, connection and practical learning, rather than a clinical or institutional setting
The Farm and Its Setting
Located near Milborne St Andrew in rural Dorset, Longmead is set on a smallholding that offers space for outdoor learning, shared activities and reflection. The natural environment has always been central to Longmead’s approach, enabling families and individuals to engage in meaningful, hands-on activities that encourage communication, confidence and mutual support.
Earlier History
The Longmead site has a rich history that long predates its current use as a community farm. In the mid-19th century it was associated with the Milborne Reformatory, established in 1856 by John Clavell Mansel-Pleydell (1817–1902), a prominent Dorset landowner, magistrate and antiquarian. The reformatory was created to house and educate boys, providing training in practical rural trades such as agriculture and carpentry as part of a progressive Victorian approach to reform and rehabilitation.
Previous Ownership
Over subsequent decades, the buildings and land were used for a variety of purposes, reflecting wider social change. These included periods as a farmhouse, accommodation for prisoners of war, facilities connected with rural skills and training, and later spiritual and community-focused uses. Throughout these changes, the site retained a strong emphasis on work, learning and care within a rural setting.
This layered history of social purpose and practical endeavour forms an important part of Longmead’s heritage and continues to inform its ethos today.
Our Approach Over Time
Since its early days, Longmead has built its work around shared experiences such as growing food, preparing meals, creative projects and outdoor activity. These practical, everyday tasks provide a foundation for therapeutic conversations and relationship building, helping families reconnect and develop skills they can take forward into everyday life
Governance and Independence
Longmead Community Farm has always operated as a standalone charity, giving it the flexibility to adapt its services to local needs. It is governed by a committed board of trustees with experience across social care, therapy, community development and business, ensuring that the charity remains grounded, well-run and true to its founding values.
Continuing the Story
While the way Longmead delivers its work has evolved over the years, its core purpose remains unchanged: to provide a welcoming, restorative space where people can feel safe, valued and supported to move forward. Today, the farm continues to build on its heritage while responding to the changing needs of the community it serves.