Meet the team
Julia Evans – Founder and CEO
Julia had been farming Longlands for 10 years when she set up the care farm in 2010. She is now our full time CEO. She has a foundation degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and qualifications in teaching, counselling, family therapy and equine facilitated learning and psychotherapy. She is now an acknowledged expert in her field.
Our frontline team bring experiences from a wide range of education, work and personal backgrounds and all are dedicated to providing the best possible care for our students.
“We work with some very anxious, angry and depressed youngsters: neglect, loss, trauma, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, autism, ADHD and dyslexia all impact behaviour and the ability to learn. We treat all the youngsters as individuals, demonstrating care and respect. We listen, encourage, support and mentor them. We have some difficult moments but mostly we have good times, and they work, learn, build self esteem and they achieve.”
Andrew Duford - Tutor
Andrew spent over 20 years working in hospitality, but here he teaches health and safety, employability, tractor driving and animal care, and is our safeguarding lead. He also cooks us amazing lunches – the heart of the day for all of us.
“I’m not afraid to say when I don’t know the answer. We’ll work it out, which is an invaluable skill. No matter how clever you are, there’s always something that you don’t know.”
Aston Perkins – Tutor
Aston was one of our very first students, and is now a full time tutor teaching Land Based and Equine studies, and is our City & Guilds Assessor.
“I’m pretty open about my background: I’ve been in a similar situation to them. So that means if I say something they know I actually know what I’m talking about.”
Read Aston's story here
Sue Tasker – Admin
Sue runs the office and is a qualified teacher. She teaches Equine studies and helps wherever needed. She also helps transport students to and from the farm:
“It’s part of their day, the journey in. If they want to talk, you talk, and if they have any concerns you can pass that on. And you’ve found that out at the beginning of the day, as opposed to at the end.”
Matt Logan – Tutor
Matt is an Alfa Romeo trained motor mechanic, and has a teaching qualification too. He teaches motor maintenance and fabrication.
“I seem to get them really engaged. It’s partly because of what I’m teaching – they want to learn this, so I’ve already won half the battle. But it’s going really well.”
Beth Miller – Mental Health
Beth is our specialist Therapeutic Practitioner. She works with the most vulnerable children and their families, and supports the other staff in developing their practice.
“Every child is different and no box fits all. A lot of these children are in schools where they are a round peg trying to fit in a square hole. But here we tailor our support to meet the individual.”
Charlotte Webby - Tutor
Charlotte – always known to us as ‘Webby’ – has spent 20 years in teaching, 10 of them in a Pupil Referral Unit. She is very supportive of young people, and amazingly creative.
“I use the ‘Drawing and Talking’ process. When they start often they’re not engaging, but as time goes by, more gets drawn, more gets talked about, and it becomes more creative and softer. Which is amazing.”
Laura Barnett - Tutor
Laura has a background in farm animal breeding and keeps her own horses – but she has also worked in catering. She is working especially with the ponies.
“Being a teenager is hard, you’ve got so many hoops to jump through and you don’t know why. So you can come here and feel safe to ask a question or show your emotions.”
James Cooper - Tutor
James has a background in Environmental Management and woodworking, and is very experienced in teaching countryside skills and working with young people.
“I do whatever needs doing, so I’ll feed the animals, muck them out, fence repairs. But the plan is to develop one of the sheds into a bit of a workshop area so that we can do green woodworking and crafts.”
Rosie Thomas – Maths & English
Rosie is a qualified primary school teacher. She has also worked with older children who were not accessing mainstream education, and as an outdoor instructor.
“I have a lot of experience in working with children that have different barriers to learning. And when they feel ready, I have the resources and skills to help them bridge the gaps in their knowledge and understanding.”
Megan Evans-Davis – Art
Megan is an artist and printmaker who delivers art sessions for some of our students. Often the projects count towards AQA awards and result in a finished piece that the students can be proud of.
“It’s really peaceful in the studio. They choose what they want to produce and I facilitate that work. It’s often about just holding space for them to talk, and open up.”
Volunteers
Our volunteers bring many different skills and perspectives, which all add to the variety of experience available at Longlands. And they share in our midday meal, building students’ social skills and confidence. Contact us to find out more.
