A FARM near Oxford which people with learning difficulties help to run has been displaying a photo exhibition showing volunteers and their work.

The FarmAbility project in Wytham, near Oxford, is run by the Farm Inspiration Trust, and provides employment skills for young people.

Co-farmers help out with tasks including looking after the sheep, working in the orchard, rearing chickens and packing eggs which are sold at markets across Oxfordshire.

In February Cabinet Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson visited the farm at the Field Station to see how the project was run and afterwards said similar initiatives could be set up elsewhere.

Since last Saturday the farm has been hosting a photo exhibition as part of Artweeks 2015, and it concludes tomorrow. Julian Henwood, 23, from Littlemore, Oxford, who is autistic, was one of the co-workers featured in the exhibition entitled I am Different, not Less – Images of Ability.

He said: “I really enjoy working with the sheep on the farm.”

Farm Ability director Sarah Giles said: “Julian is one of our co-workers and has been coming here for about three years.

“He does everything from grooming the horses to collecting eggs or working with the sheep.”

The exhibition shows co-farmers completing a number of different roles on the farm over 12 months.

Among the visitors to the exhibition was county council chairman Anne Purse. Ms Giles said many of the co-workers studied for national qualifications called ASDANS (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), which are equivalent to GCSEs.

She added that some of the co-workers with learning disabilities have been taking a course in horse care.

The photographs portrayed a year of the FarmAbility programme at Wytham.

The exhibition recorded the achievements of the co-farmers to show how they gained a sense of purpose while learning vocational skills needed to move forward in their lives. FarmAbility is a programme run by the charity the Farm Inspiration Trust.

For further information visit farminspirationtrust.org/farmability