Runners Up at the Rural Business Awards

The Seeds of Change, an organisation which works with some of the Eastern and Central region’s most vulnerable people has been announced as the Runner Up in the Best Professional Services category at the Rural Business Awards. The category, which was won by Ballinger Equine, received hundreds of nominations from across the Eastern region and was shortlisted  to seven deserving finalists. The Seeds of Change was delighted to come second in a category brimming with high calibre competition.

Following the Awards Ceremony at Ipswich’s Trinity Park on Friday, 6th November, Rachael Frossell, Director and Co-Founder of The Seeds of Change said:

“We are thrilled to have been recognised by the Rural Business Awards. This award has shone a light on the positive social impact that rural businesses like ours can have on urban communities by encouraging people into the countryside with all of the educational and health benefits that it can bring. Being involved in the Rural Business Awards has been a fantastic experience.”

The Rural Business Awards 2019/20, held in partnership with Amazon and BT Outreach, is in its fifth year and celebrates the success of businesses across the UK’s rural economy – a segment which employs in excess of 3.4 million people in over 750,000 businesses in England alone. The Awards are organised by rural business for rural business with the aim of celebrating the achievements of rural businesses and developing a strong network for rural business owners.

The Seeds of Change predominantly works with young people aged between 5-18 from across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire who are experiencing challenges in their personal and academic lives and need a helping hand. It delivers therapeutic and academic interventions in outdoor, natural environments that help individuals to work through their barriers to learning and enables them to develop strategies to cope in their everyday life and, thus, re-engage with life and education.

What makes the organisation different to many other ‘alternative’ educational or therapeutic settings, both locally and nationally, is the use of horses and outdoor, rural environments in their work. These key components are introduced into sessions to create a sense of connection and participation without the negative connotations usually associated with learning or therapeutic settings. Since The Seeds of Change was established 14 years ago it has helped more than 3000 young people to re-write their life stories.

The Seeds of Change is holding a Taster Day on 24th January 2020 for anyone who would like to find out more about our unique and highly successful approach using Equine Facilitated Learning techniques. Click here for more information about the event.

To find out more about the Rural Business Awards visit www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk

New Courses! Equine Practitioners Course and Taster Day

Equine Practitioners Course and Taster Days
Taster Day – 24th January 2020

We are excited to announce that we will be offering a new Equine Practitioners Course in Spring 2020 for all those who want to learn more about the unique The Seeds of Change approach.

Having worked with more than 3000 young people with severe SEMH needs over 14 years we can provide a unique insight into how to use horses to truly transform the lives of individuals who are struggling.

We have worked in six counties with numerous schools, families, support agencies and mental health professionals to deliver life-changing results to those we coach.

We are approved by City and Guilds and four Local Authorities having passed their quality accreditation process to deliver courses to their young people.

We are regularly audited by Schools, Local Authorities, Safeguarding and Health and Safety Professionals. We receive on average two Ofsted visits as part of school inspections too.

We have gone from a two person business to now employing a team of more than 20 people.

Our testimonials speak for themselves and we are very proud of our reputation as providers of alternative education and also to have been nominated finalists in the Eastern Region of the Rural Business Awards.

We believe that the insight offered on this course will provide an Equine Practitioners Course unlike any other on offer. We have been asked many times if we will offer training to external practitioners, but have always been committed to working with young people and building our own business. After 14 years we think the time has come to focus on expanding our reach through a network of skilled individuals to other parts of the Country and other areas of work.

Acceptance onto the Practitioners course is by application only as we have a limited number of places and demand is likely to be high. We are looking for the best and most passionate individuals who really want to embrace the ethos behind our work and use these skills to help others to develop strategies in their own lives.

As an introduction to this course, we will be running a number of Taster Days where you can come along and sample the The Seeds of Change approach and learn more about working with horses to really transform lives.  The Taster days will be stand alone days which are open to all who may be interested in learning about how horses can really help to support emotional needs.

For anyone considering applying for the Equine Practitioners Course the cost of the Taster Day is refundable against the Level3 Qualification.

For more information and to reserve a place on the Taster Day on the 24th January 2020 please contact: amyn@theseedsofchange.co.uk or call 01234 881871

You can also download our Taster Day Flyer to find out more about the event.