Care farm founder says vandals are slowing plans to help struggling young people in Barnham

Tom Morphew, who runs a care farm in Ardingly, is developing a second site in Barnham, aimed at supporting children excluded from mainstream education, adults with mental and physical disabilities, and local families struggling with food insecurity.

But Tom says teenagers breaking into the abandoned site and smashing windows, furniture and glass panels has added thousands of pounds to the project’s costs and delaying progress.

Speaking while filming content for an upcoming YouTube and podcast channel, he described the emotional and financial strain of trying to transform the derelict site into a community hub.

He said: “We’re trying to do the right thing and we’re trying to make a lovely place down here. It’s a hell of a lot of work.

“What doesn’t help is when people come along and smash the place up even more, create even more mess, smash more glass out of doors and windows. It just adds to the bill.”

Despite his frustration, Tom said the vandalism only reinforced why the project was needed.

“The ironic thing is that we are building this place for kids who are bored and haven’t got anything to do and don’t fit mainstream education,” he said.

“This would eventually be a place for them to come and feel like they actually can do things and be constructive rather than destructive.”

Tom's care farm in his home village, Ardingly, has been operating for six years and supports around 16 children a week through alternative provision programmes alongside adults with mental and physical disabilities.

The new Barnham site is intended to expand that work on a larger scale. Plans include animal care, horticulture, cooking lessons, a commercial kitchen and a food distribution hub supporting local food banks.

Tom, who also works with food bank networks, said the site could help solve major storage problems faced by charities handling supermarket surplus food.

The project would include walk-in chillers and facilities to process excess produce into frozen ready meals for local people in need.

He said the vision was not just about support services, but also about giving young people a sense of ownership and belonging.

“I don’t mind them coming in here and sitting on the chairs around the table,” he said.

“There’s nothing else to do down here in Barnham, they’re bored.

“But don’t smash the place up because you just create more and more mess and it’s harder to clear up. That takes more time and more money when I could be getting on with other things to make this place better.”

Funding remains one of the biggest obstacles. Tom said rising operating costs and the expense of running two farms had slowed progress significantly.

The team is currently crowdfunding and applying for grants, while also waiting for supplies of crushed concrete needed to build access roads into the site.

“If you know anyone who’s incredibly wealthy and wants to give me loads of money to create an amazing care farm, let me know,” he joked.

Despite the setbacks, he insists the project will continue moving forward.

“We move on,” he said.