Butterlope Social Farm

Social Farming opportunities for adults with support needs and education visits for groups & schools.

Butterlope Farm is located 2 miles from the village of Plumbridge in the beautiful Glenelly Valley at the heart of the Sperrins. The farm is owned and managed by Annie and Vincent Mullan. It is mainly a hill sheep farm with a variety of breeds but they also have calves, laying hens and the sheep dogs. A kitchen garden and large polytunnel allows a large variety of vegetables to be grown for the family and farm helpers .

A Community Interest Company based on the farm aims to bring visitors closer to nature while learning about farming, the countryside and improving their own health and well-being. In order to achieve this a number of programmes are based on the farm including;

Social Farming

As a Social Farm we provide an alternative to those in need of social care. This may be adults with additional learning needs or people recovering or experiencing mental health problems.

• Participants work alongside us to take care of all the animals, manage the land, grow and tend to vegetables and learn about the wildlife of this beautiful upland area.
• Working on the farm brings many benefits such as improved physical and mental health as well as developing participants confidence in a work and social environment.
• Participants can also benefit from achieving accredited LANTRA qualifications while on the farm.

Learning in the Landscape

Schools and groups can visit to experience life on a farm and to learn about any of the topics below:

• Farming including the history of farming and how it shaped the landscape.
• Foraging
• Growing vegetables.
• Plant and animal wildlife
• Ecology of upland ecosystems.

Tailored programmes are available on request and can be curriculum linked. Trainers are qualified LANTRA, Forest Schools and adult education tutors. Visits and events are through bookings only.

We offer day opportunities and accept referrals from:

• Adult Community Mental Health & Learning Disability teams within the Western Health and Social Care Trust. Social Prescribing teams within local Healthy Living Centres
• Self-Directed Support.