Save Darwin Nurseries & Farm Shop - secure a sustainable future now

Darwin Nurseries in Teversham has been a lifeline for adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs for over 27 years. We are calling on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) to urgently explore every alternative to closure — and to work with partners to secure a long-term future for this irreplaceable community resource.

The 7.5-acre site on Newmarket Road provides training, therapeutic horticulture, animal husbandry and retail work for adults with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.

Co-workers — as participants are known — develop practical and employability skills in a supportive, inclusive environment alongside volunteers and staff. Open seven days a week, the farm shop, café and small animal farm are a fixture of community life across South Cambridgeshire and the wider Cambridge area. The announced closure has alarmed co-workers, families and thousands of community supporters who rely on and cherish this unique resource.

“The planned closure of Darwin Nurseries is devastating news for everyone who depends on this wonderful resource. Darwin Nurseries provides a much-loved community resource that plays a vital role in inclusion, wellbeing and opportunity. We must all work together once again to help save Darwin Nurseries.”

— Pippa Heylings, Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire