A rural charity is among 90 groups in Wales celebrating their share of nearly £220,000 in cash seized from criminals which has been awarded from the Police and Crime Commissioner's Partnership Fund today.
The Vision of Hope Animal Assisted Therapy charity is based on Wenallt farm near the village of Gilwern in Monmouthshire. The 18 acre farm was purchased by the founders and Directors of the charity, Dinah Sansome and her husband David, six years ago.
Dinah, who has been awarded an MBE for her services to charity, has been working with the homeless since 1968 and has been sharing her homes with offenders to help rehabilitate them since 1980. The couple have supported over 7,000 people over the years.
Dinah and David have opened their home at Wenallt farm to ex-offenders and young people recovering from substance misuse so that they can benefit from on-site treatment and therapy relating to the care of animals.
The farm houses up to 10 young people who are referred from prisons, charities, social services, housing and other organisations. The young people live and work on the farm with Dinah and her husband. They receive visits from the probation service and substance misuse workers and have all the support that they need.
The therapy helps them build trust and bonds with the farm animals, most of which have been rescued. Several of the residents have gone on to build lives in the local community and work for the charity, either permanently or as volunteers. The £5,000 they have been awarded will help the project to buy agricultural tools, a poultry incubator, the services of an instructor and a moveable animal shelter.
'Perfect mix for those looking to turn their lives around'
One person who can certainly vouch for the impact of the project is 38 year old Andrew Oates.
Andrew has no doubt that he wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for the support of the rural charity. He was about 11 years old when he started misusing substances and his addiction spiralled out of control.
According to Mr Oates, the remoteness and the hard work involved in running the farm coupled with the family atmosphere and the responsibility of looking after the animals is a perfect mix for those looking turn their lives around.
"It's peaceful, quiet and remote on the farm and part of the recovery process is to be removed from the situation that you were in," says Andrew.
"There's a physical distance and barrier away from drugs and alcohol that helps you here. The work on the farm is hard but the emotional and psychological challenge to overcome addiction is even harder.
"We have chickens, cows, sheep, pigs donkeys and horses here to look after. A typical day starts with cleaning out, feeding, grooming and all that hard work that comes with running a farm," Mr Oates said.
