'I gained independence through learning farm skills'

Little Gate Farm matched Dan Bowen with his employers, a fishmongers in East Sussex

A charity in East Sussex is helping adults with learning disabilities find jobs through gaining farm skills.

Little Gate Farm, near Rye, matches its trainees to local employers and supports them to start work.

According to government figures, 5.1% of adults with a learning disability are in paid employment.

Dan Bowen, who was supported by the farm and now has a job, said he "wouldn't know where he'd be" without the organisation.

The 46-acre farm is a pre-employment training ground which teaches transferable skills like woodwork, flower cutting and animal care.

Skills coach Jessica Miller said: "We know that a lot of our team might not go into work with wood or charcoal but it's about learning the teamwork skills behind it, the communication skills behind it, the confidence behind it."

Mr Bowen found it difficult to find a job due to his learning disabilities and became homeless, before being referred to Little Gate Farm by the job centre.

He now has a job at a local fishmongers.

He said: "What I've learnt from here, I've took it to work with me.

"Not having a job I don't know where I'd be, I'd still be in the same situation, still on universal credit."

He said he had "come a long way".

Chloe Valentine says she has gained confidence and social skills

Chloe Valentine, 27, who has autism and anxiety, has been supported by the farm for four years.

She said she struggled to get a job because of "the unknown" due to "not knowing about what's going to happen and how you're going to deal with a situation that's unexpected".

Twenty-two trainees can come to activity sessions each day, with many attending two or three times a week.

The farm is home to goats and alpacas which are cared for by the team and trainees

They can take part in work experience and paid employment with the organisation before being matched with local companies, supported through recruitment and beginning work.

The charity also runs sessions for young people aged eight to 21.

Hannah Briars, the head of Little Gate Farm, said they were trying to "bridge a gap" to support employers "to understand that employing someone with a learning disability is the same as employing someone without a disability".

They currently have a waiting list for their services and believe by helping those with learning disabilities into employment, rather than relying on adult social care services, it is a "cost saving" to the local authority.