Case Study: able2achieve – Empowering Adults with Learning Disabilities to Restore Nature

Our Wilding Partners meeting in May featured a presentation from Joe Knights, Learning Manager at able2achieve, an organisation supporting adults with learning disabilities – known as Learners – to live more independent and fulfilling lives. Joe’s work focuses on engaging Learners in nature restoration projects across Somerset and Devon, making towns and cities wilder and greener.

When Joe joined able2achieve he was preceded by false rumours that he was an experienced gardener. Equipped with a gardening toolkit and a willingness to learn from the job, he set out with a team of six to eight Learners to find outdoor spaces they could help transform.

Many of the Learners experienced significant isolation during the pandemic lockdowns. Emerging from that period, they were eager to get outdoors, become active and contribute to their communities. Finding opportunities, however, was not straightforward. 

Turning up on people’s doorstep with a group of enthusiastic Learners, offering to rewild their gardens was often met with scepticism. Most declined, except for a local care home overwhelmed by the amount of greenspace on their property. The care home supports residents with profound and multiple learning disabilities, many of whom use mechanical wheelchairs to get around. The garden had become overgrown and seasonally waterlogged, making it inaccessible for wheelchair users. Days out for these residents are a big commitment, involving special bus hire and multiple staff, making them few and far between. They wanted a garden to enjoy close to home, and the care home became the first of many successful projects for Joe and the Learners.

Since then, their portfolio has grown to around 60 projects, working primarily with churches, schools and hospitals and other organisations with plenty of green space. The team also attends weekly environmental training sessions at Carymoor Environmental Trust, near Castle Cary in Somerset – a former landfill site transformed into a nature reserve and outdoor learning centre. 

Alongside habitat management, Learners participate in woodworking sessions, creating tools such as rakes from hazel harvested in a nearby woodland. They also take part in traditional crafts, including willow weaving. These activities generate a modest income for the group, helping to support their work. Future explorations include growing produce that can be processed and sold through able2achieve’s commercial kitchen.

Partnerships have become central to the programme’s success. A collaboration with Yeo Rivers Community Trust, a local rivers charity, has provided learning opportunities in scything, water sampling and wildlife monitoring. The Learners now carry out water-quality sampling across seven test sites in the Yeovil area, have become highly skilled scythers, and have helped identify dormice at a local reservoir.

The team embraces almost anything that sparks interest and enthusiasm, from litter picks and practical maintenance tasks to nature poetry events and food festivals.

Partner organisations also benefit. The projects provide clear evidence of the positive impact that meaningful outdoor activity can have on wellbeing, confidence and skills development. At the same time, local landscapes are becoming greener and more biodiverse. Through their work, the team is helping to challenge perceptions about urban nature and encouraging landowners and managers to move away from intensive maintenance regimes, including the weekly mow, in favour of more wildlife-friendly approaches.

One of the programme’s greatest strengths is its continuity. Long-term partnerships and the recurring rhythms of the seasons allow Learners to build and refine practical skills over many years. Progress may be gradual, but it is consistent. Over time, the programme has developed a highly capable volunteer workforce with deep expertise. For Learners, this is both empowering and affirming.

The programme is built on mutually beneficial relationships in which everyone gains. For example, a partnership with the local council is exploring training pathways that could give Learners a viable opportunity to take on roles similar to a town ranger, helping to open up opportunities within the environmental sector.

“People with learning disabilities represent a large community that is often under-engaged. And they want to do something positive,” said Joe. “No one wants to sit at home and do nothing, it’s not good for mental health.”

He describes the Learners as an exceptionally reliable volunteer force that has earned a strong reputation across Yeovil. They are available throughout the working week, unlike many volunteer groups whose members balance volunteering with other work and family commitments. Most importantly, there is genuine pride and enjoyment in the work. “They say it’s nice to give help instead of always receiving it,” Joe explained. 

While highly rewarding, the work is not without its challenges. Unexpected situations are common, and organisations looking to develop similar programmes need to be prepared. Appropriate safeguarding measures, DBS checks, insurance and support systems are all essential. Alongside Joe, the Learners work with land management and wildlife specialists who help guide projects and ensure activities are carried out safely and effectively.

Joe also noted that public perceptions can sometimes present barriers. “Many volunteer groups are white, middle-class people who can afford to take time out to volunteer,” he said. “When we tell people we work with adults with learning disabilities, the reaction is usually very positive. But when we tell them we’re going to cut their grass with scythes, people can get nervous. Then we finish the job, the grass is beautifully cut, nobody has been injured, and everyone feels great about it.”

Looking ahead, Joe’s ambition is surprisingly simple: to make himself redundant. His hope is that the Learners will continue building on their experience, confidence and skills, creating opportunities and initiatives of their own that grow beyond able2achieve.

In the process, they are demonstrating something powerful: nature restoration is not only about transforming landscapes. It can also create opportunities, build confidence, strengthen communities and help people discover their own potential.