A FARM is being started to help young people gain experience and provide needy families with fresh produce.

Groundwork’s Green Energiser Team is building a ‘micro-farm’ at Tyldesley Allotments to provide 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) a City and Guilds level one in practical horticulture.

The produce from the farm will be donated to Grow for Giving and will allow the charitable food bank — which provides fresh produce for people in need across the local area — to expand significantly.

Nathan Green, aged 17, said: “I have had a lot of issues with drugs that have caused problems with my family and my school life, I attended several schools all of which I have been excluded from.

“Now I feel like I am getting my life back on track, I see the Green Energisers course as a way to focus my energy, gain skills and make a difference. I am proud to be part of the project as it will help many others in the community who are really struggling at the moment.”

Groundwork provides training for young people who are interested in gardening or landscaping and many have gone on to gain apprenticeships with tree surgeons or landscaping companies.

The team is funded through a partnership with Rathbone training and the Groundwork Trust, while Harry Fairclough’s has provided materials.

There are still a couple of places left on the course. Contact Liam on liam.roche@groundwork.org.uk or 07739 952229 or contact Tyldesley Allotment Society to volunteer for Grow for Giving.