Halesowen support worker is living the dream on community farm
Combining a love of animals and a passion for supporting adults with learning disabilities has led to a dream role for Laura Littlewood.
She is opening Little Learning Barn, a day centre where participants can get hands-on experience working on a farm while learning useful life skills.
It is based at St Margaret’s Meadow Farm, a small holding in Halesowen, where mother of two Laura is a volunteer.
“It’s a wonderful place,” she tells Weekend. “My dream has always been to work on a farm but my heart is in support work so I thought I would combine the two.”
Little Learning Barn will be open to adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues who will learn not only what it takes to care for an array of different animals but also skills to help them live independently.
Laura has almost 20 years’ experience in support work and a NVQ Level 4 in health and social care.
“A big part of support work is promoting independence through person-centred care. We get to know each service user so we can support them the best we can,” explains the 39-year-old.
“I find support work very rewarding, it brings a great sense of satisfaction to help people achieve their full potential and to work towards undertaking tasks independently.
“I love helping people achieve their goals no matter how big or small and understand that a lot of the time it’s not about huge achievements but more about celebrating every little step along the way. It’s nice to feel I’m making a difference to someone’s life.”
