At the heart of Farms for City Children’s mission is making sure young people who need it most have the opportunity to experience life on a farm. Our funders and partners play a vital role in making that possible.
One of those long-standing partners is Bank of Montreal (BMO), whose support has enabled over 200 children from London to spend a week on one of our farms since 2021. As part of our 50 voices series, Richard Couzens, Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets, reflects on what five years of partnership has meant and how it not only impacts the children who head to a farm but him and his colleagues too.
The experiences that stay with us
For Richard, the partnership resonates because of the lasting influence childhood experiences can have.
“Perhaps it was a teacher who believed in us. A challenge that tested us. Time spent somewhere completely different from our everyday surroundings. What Farms for City Children provides is exactly that sort of experience.”
He describes a week with Farms for City Children as the kind of experience that takes children somewhere completely different from their everyday surroundings. “For five days, they become part of a farm community, take on real responsibilities, spend time outdoors and experience life away from screens and some of the pressures of everyday life.”
“They discover things about themselves. And, increasingly, they do so away from screens and away from some of the pressures that seem to arrive far earlier in childhood than they once did.”
“What has genuinely surprised me is how closely this mirrors the qualities we spend so much time trying to develop in adults.”
He explains: “Those qualities include confidence, resilience, independence, empathy and the ability to work with others.”
Richard says teachers tell him that they see children return from the farms with a greater sense of self-belief and possibility. Having seen the programme in action himself, he says those changes are very real.
A partnership rooted in one London community
BMO’s partnership began in 2021, when they became the Farms for City Children sponsor for Prior Weston Primary School, just a short walk from its London office near Liverpool Street.
“That proximity matters. This isn’t support for a community somewhere else. It’s our community.”
Five years on, BMO has enabled 204 London children to spend a week with Farms for City Children. Many of those pupils receive Pupil Premium funding, making opportunities like this all the more important.
As Prior Weston’s Assistant Head Aoife McMonagle explains: “For children at Prior Weston, the Year 6 residential to a Farms for City Children site is a truly transformative experience. It offers many of our pupils a rare opportunity to spend time in the countryside, care for animals, work as part of a team and take on responsibilities that are very different from their everyday lives in central London.
During the week, children discover strengths they did not know they had, showing growing confidence, resilience and independence as they step outside their comfort zones and embrace new challenges such as grooming animals, feeding them and ensuring the livestock are safe every evening.
Teachers consistently comment on the impact when pupils return. They note that the children are more self-assured, show more willingness to persevere when tasks are difficult, and have developed strong relationships with their peers. The experience creates lasting memories and helps children realise what they are capable of achieving.
The partnership with BMO has further enriched these opportunities, extending beyond the farm through visits to the BMO offices, the donation of resources and inviting the children to fundraising events. We greatly value the contribution of BMO and Richard Trotman as a school governor. Together, these experiences broaden our children’s horizons, raise aspirations and provide opportunities that many might not otherwise have access to outside of the classroom.”
Impact that grows
Children’s artwork is now displayed in BMO’s office and pupils visit to share their experiences. BMO colleague Richard Trotman serves as a governor at Prior Weston, while other colleagues spend time talking to pupils about careers they may never previously have considered.
As Richard explains: “The farm visit broadens horizons. But so does helping a child see possibilities for their future that might otherwise remain invisible.”
For Richard, those possibilities can be about education, careers, where a young person feels they belong and what they might achieve.
More than funding
The relationship has also given BMO colleagues plenty of opportunities to get involved themselves. Over the years, they have abseiled down buildings, run mud races, climbed the roof of the O2 and cycled hundreds of miles. Those activities have raised vital funds while also introducing Farms for City Children to other businesses, some of which have gone on to become supporters themselves.
But Richard believes the real value of a long-term corporate partnership goes much further.
“What we’ve discovered is that the value of a partnership like this isn’t measured solely by what’s written on a cheque. It’s measured by the people, relationships, expertise and opportunities that grow around it.”
That includes the people and skills a business can bring, its networks and influence, and the relationships that develop over time.
Looking to the next 50 years
As Farms for City Children celebrates its 50th anniversary, Richard sees the milestone as a chance to think about what could be achieved if more organisations chose to build similarly long-term partnerships.
“We’ve seen what five years of partnership can achieve.”
For BMO, that has meant helping hundreds of children access a week on the farm, building a lasting relationship with a local school, bringing colleagues together and encouraging others to support the charity too.
“Because investing in young people is ultimately an investment in all of our futures. At BMO, we often talk about purpose and about growing the good in business and life.”
“Partnerships like this make those ideas tangible. They give colleagues an opportunity to be part of something beyond their day-to-day role. They create human connections across the organisation. And over time they build something that is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable: trust.”
As he explains: “Not because you talk about your values. Because you demonstrate them consistently over a period of years.”
Could your organisation help open the farm gates?
Corporate partnerships help us give more young people the chance to spend a week on the farm, while creating meaningful opportunities for colleagues to fundraise, volunteer and get involved in our work. If your organisation would like to explore becoming a corporate partner, we’d love to hear from you. Find out more about partnering with Farms for City Children.
