Independent Living VI Young People

A Week of Firsts: Our Summer Residential at Jamie’s Farm

Summer 2026 Tags: Activities & Things To Do, Supporting Independence
Three mentors standing leaning on a gate with their backs to the camera looking out over a field at sun set

This summer, a group of Look mentees and mentors packed their wellies and headed to the Herefordshire countryside for five unforgettable days at Jamie’s Farm, a charity that helps young people flourish through farming, family and therapy.

It’s the perfect place for our community to come together, try new things and grow in confidence, side by side. For many of our mentees, the week started with nerves. By the end, it was tears of a different kind, as new friends said goodbye and promised it wouldn’t be long until they saw each other again.

This is the story of their week.

Day OneArriving and Settling In

The farm gates opened to a warm welcome from the Jamie’s Farm team, and the adventure began. As mentees found their feet and explored their new surroundings, a few nerves were only natural. But with icebreaker games led by our Look mentors, it wasn’t long before smiles, laughter and new friendships started to take shape. The evening rounded off with a karaoke session, and by the last song, any lingering nerves were well and truly gone.

Look’s residential at Jamie’s Farm has given my son so much confidence in his ability to do things independently and to make new friends. I feel so reassured that he’s going to thrive when he starts college this year, with all the tools he’s learnt this week.

Parent of a Look mentee

Day TwoHands-On with Farm Life

Day two meant wellies on and sleeves rolled up. Mentees fed the animals, mucked out the stables and collected eggs, discovering skills they didn’t know they had. One mentee had expected to spend the week covered in animal mess and came away having led a horse and balanced a chicken on their head. Another found real joy in caring for the animals, surprised by just how much they enjoyed it.

Everyday tasks like these became small acts of independence. Mentees made their own decisions, tried things they weren’t sure they could do, and found out they could do them anyway.

I never expected to enjoy the animals as much as I did. I ended up leading a horse and even balanced a chicken on my head. I felt so proud of myself for trying things I wasn’t sure I could do.

Look mentee
Mentee stroking the head of a horse in their stable Mentee with the farm pigs in their pen A group of three young people in the chicken field all holding chickens and smiling at the camera. Mentee holding a sheep smiling

Day ThreeOut into the Countryside

With the farm as a backdrop, the group set off on a scenic hike climbing hills and taking in the sounds and smells of the Herefordshire countryside. Tired legs were no match for team spirit; a sing-along kept everyone going, as well as the lure of cookies and hot chocolate when they reached the top!

Back at the farm, the day ended around the campfire, swapping stories under the stars.

Group walking through the fields on their hike young people sitting down at the top of a hill enjoying a drink and snack, around them are rolling hills. Young people and look mentors standing together at the top of the mountain on a blue sky day with rolling hills in the background

Day FourCooking Up a Storm

In the farm’s kitchen, the young people took the lead, learning to cook, and prepare meals from scratch, some for the very first time. Mentees told us how proud they felt mastering these new skills, from grating and chopping to plating up a meal they’d made themselves. That sense of independence in the kitchen was one that followed several mentees home.

Thank you for giving her such a lovely week away. She’s so excited telling us about everything she’s done and every friend she’s made. We’ve agreed she’ll take charge of a cooking night each week now, planning and making the meal herself.

Parent of a Look mentee
Two young people wearing aprons hold their flour covered hands up to the camera Three young people wearing aprons and standing in a farmhouse kitchen smiling for the camera, in front of them are trays of food they have made Two young people working together to peel carrots

Day FiveJobs Around the Farm

On the final morning, mentees rolled their sleeves up for a taste of everyday farm work: chopping wood, clearing out the animal pens, and prepping feed for the animals. For many, having a go on the tractor was the highlight of the week, proof that being visually impaired is no barrier to getting properly stuck in.

Then it was time to reflect. Sitting together one last time, mentees shared their highs and lows, celebrated the friendships they’d made, and said their goodbyes, already looking forward to the next time.

Mentee sitting in a wood shed whittling wood Mentee chopping wood Four young people standing in front of a large tractor A young person and adult wheeling a wheelbarrow through the farm yard full of feed for the animals.

More Than a Week Away

For every mentee who came to Jamie’s Farm, this was about far more than farm jobs and countryside walks. It was a week of discovering independence, trying new things and making lifelong friendships.

Being here made me realise everyone has their own way of doing things, and there are lots of different ways to be independent. It felt so good to just be myself, without having to explain anything.

Look mentee

Mentees told us how much it meant to spend time with other visually impaired young people who simply understood, without anything needing to be explained. They could be themselves, share their experiences openly, and know they weren’t alone — that there are other young people out there who see the world differently too.

Thank you to everyone for such a wonderful week. She had an incredible time and we can’t thank you enough for making it so memorable. It’s something she’ll remember for a long time, she’d be back next week if she could!

Parent of a Look mentee

At the heart of it all were our Look mentors, sharing their own experiences and quietly showing mentees what’s possible. Their guidance, patience and encouragement helped turn a week at the farm into something much bigger: proof that being visually impaired never has to stand in the way of trying something new, making friends, or discovering just how capable you are.

Group photo of young people in the back of a farm car smiling at the camera, everyone is wearing walking clothes Group photo of mentors and mentees around a large rectangular wooden table with their arms around each others shoulders Three young people crouching on the floor petting a dog one person is holding their cane, everyone is smiling at the camera.

Connect with other visually impaired young people

Look’s Mentor Project connects visually impaired young people with trained peer mentors who understand what it’s like. Whatever you’re navigating, from travel to everyday life, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Find out about mentoring