Who we are
Forty years on this land.
A Camphill Community rooted in the belief that everyone has something to contribute — and the farm to prove it.
About us
A place where people belong.
Sturts Community Trust is a registered charity and registered housing association. Our care services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission. We are based on Sturts Farm — a 90-acre working biodynamic farm on the outskirts of West Moors — with a number of housing projects on site and in the local community.
As a Camphill Community, Sturts Farm has, for well over 40 years, been offering land-based work opportunities, individualised support, and supported living for adults who have a learning disability. With the founding of the Sturts Community Trust, we're building on that rich history — opening up our resources and expertise to benefit a wider range of individuals in East Dorset.
We opened Twin Oaks in April 2021 as a new-build housing scheme, and we have plans to extend our provision further. The community keeps growing.
"Our vision is to promote opportunities in land-based activities, lifelong learning, and the level of individualised support each person needs."
Our history
Over forty years of farming.
Over forty years ago, we began working on our farmland in a sustainable way, using biodynamic farming methods. We offer land-based working opportunities on our farm for adults with learning difficulties here in East Dorset.
We've been farming biodynamically with a simple passion for real food. We wanted food from our farm to your fork — which is why we opened Gullivers Farm Shop & Kitchen in October 2015. We've since won several awards, including Best Independent Retailer in the Dorset Food, Drink & Farming Awards 2019.
Visit Gullivers Farm Shop →Sustainability
Working with nature.
Biodynamic agriculture focuses on working with nature — creating a self-sustaining organism that is organic but also resists the need to buy in products. A farm has components of livestock, vegetable growing, and arable feed-growing activity. In this way the soil is constantly rejuvenated by the activity of the farm itself.
At Sturts Community Trust, our animals are fed exclusively on grass and feeds grown on our own farmland. The key process centres around our cows — milking cows, compost making, and the sowing of nitrogen-enhancing crops such as clover sown with oats.
Demeter certified
Our biodynamic farming methods are certified by Demeter — the world's leading biodynamic certification body.
No chemicals
We revert to ploughing and weeding instead. The topsoil and subsoils on our land become more healthy, aerated, and living as a result.
Whole organism
We farm on a rotation system where the farm is seen as one whole organism — every part supporting every other part.
Governance
How we're run.
Sturts Community Trust is governed by a board of trustees whose responsibility is to set the strategic direction of the organisation, define policies, and appoint and monitor the effectiveness of the management team.
We are a registered charity (no. 1152152), a registered company (no. 8359958), and a registered housing association (no. 5089). Our care services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
We are a member of the Association of Camphill Communities.
Management group
The team behind the trust.
- Tim Woodward
- Amy McIntosh
- Georgina Woodward
- Lee Doran
- Ruth Osholiki