Michael Morpurgo | Charities

About Farms for City Children

Children’s writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare founded farms for city children in 1976 at Nethercott Farm, deep in Devon river country. We now operate three working farms: Treginnis Isaf on the Pembrokeshire coast opened twenty years ago and Wick Court in Gloucestershire opened in 1997. We aim to expand the horizons of children from towns and cities all over the country by offering them a week in the countryside living together on one of our farms.

How It Happens

Over the years the formula has changed very little. Simply, children are involved in everything necessary to keep the farms going. They learn hands-on where their food comes from, the importance of caring for animals and the land, and the value of working co-operatively as a team. The rewards are, unusually, non-material and self-generated: children discover an active enjoyment in life and a sense of achievement, the effects of which remain with them long after they have waved the farms goodbye.

Charities Michael is patron to:

As well as founding his own, Farms for City Children, with his wife Clare, Michael is patron to many other charities.

Action for Children’s Arts

Action for Children's Arts is the only UK charity supporting all the arts for all children. “Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Article 31, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Visit the Action for Children’s Arts website ›

Bag Books

Bag Books is the only organisation in the world publishing multi-sensory books specifically for people with learning disabilities. Each year we reach around 18,000 children and adults throughout the UK with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD) or severely affected by Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

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Book Relief UK

First Book is determined to see that all children, regardless of their economic conditions, can achieve more in school and in life through access to an ongoing supply of new books.

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British Friends of Neve Shalom

Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (the "Oasis of Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic) is the only community in Israel where Jews and Palestinians choose to live, work and raise their children in equality and mutual respect.

Visit the British Friends of Neve Shalom website ›

Dandelion Time

Dandelion Time works with children and young people struggling with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties often resulting from traumatic experiences and challenging life circumstances.

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English PEN, Readers and Writers

English PEN is the founding centre of PEN International, the worldwide fellowship of writers promoting free expression and the literature across frontiers. There are 140 PEN centres in more than one hundred countries, providing an active and supportive community for writers and readers around the world.

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Future Faces

Internationally, Future Faces aims to provide funding for training for surgeons and allied professionals so that they may establish first class cleft and craniofacial centres in which multidisciplinary care is provided in the long term by local professionals.

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Historical Writers’ Association

In early October 2010, a group of writers came together to form the Historical Writers' Association - the HWA. This grew from the belief that we as historical writers need to have the same kind of professional body run by professional writers for professional writers (and their agents and publishers and booksellers) to sustain, promote and support each other and our work in the way that the Crime Writers' Association provides professional and social support for its members.

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Human Values Foundation

The Human Values Foundation (HVF) is the publisher and promoter of values-based educational programmes. It was formed in 1995 to encourage, promote and develop human values among young people through its educational programmes, publications, exhibitions, conferences and staff exploration sessions.

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Ignite

The CCI approach is to place the people we work with at the centre of the experience, in the role of researchers and experimenters. Artists and creative practitioners work alongside participants as facilitators offering them ideas to engage with, together with stimulating materials, extraordinary spaces and uncluttered time.

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Kidzone

Kidzone Finland is a fun, interactive website for British school pupils to explore Finland´s unique landscape, culture and lifestyle through the lives of three Finnish children: Emilia, Ville and Sofia. It provides an accessible vehicle for parents and teachers to support them as they discover another country and learn about a bigger world outside their own.

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Lincoln Festival

The Lincoln Book Festival sees writers from across the globe descend upon Lincoln city. The festival attracts local, national and international writers and artists and celebrates both historical and contemporary works of art spanning from Lincolnshire's past with the Magna Carta and Tennyson, to new writing. This richness has ensured the public have access to a wide range of authors and experiences and helps them to engage with reading and writing in many non-traditional ways.

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London Children’s Museum

London Children's Museum plans to create a children's museum in the heart of London for children and their families where together they may play, discover, create, make and learn in an open and informal environment where childhood is celebrated and enriched.

Visit the London Children’s Museum website ›

Montessori Education UK

Montessori Education (UK), ME(UK), is a registered charity which was founded in 1993 in response to public demand for an independent organisation committed to representing the Montessori community and promoting uniformly high standards across all Montessori schools and training providers in the United Kingdom.

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Royal Albert Memorial Museum Exeter

Exeter City Museums and Art Gallery Service exists to enable people to explore their past and present for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. The collections document the natural and cultural history of the city within a regional, national and international context, helping people to develop an appreciation and understanding of their wider as well as immediate environment. The service manages and cares for these collections that are held in trust for the benefit of present and future generations.

Visit the Royal Albert Memorial Museum Exeter website ›

Save the Children

Save the Children works in 120 countries. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential.

Visit the Save the Children website ›

School Library Association

The School Library Association is committed to supporting everyone involved with school libraries, promoting high quality reading and learning opportunities for all.

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Shrewsbury Bookfest

The first Shrewsbury Children's Bookfest took place in May 1999. It was at the time the only exclusively children's literary festival in the country. Since then, Bookfest has grown considerably and established a fine reputation for excellence amongst authors, publishers and keen supporters. It is now firmly established as one of the most highly regarded events of its kind in the UK by the public, publishers, authors and illustrators alike.

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The Browning Society

The Browning Society was formed in 1969 to provide a focus for contemporary interest in Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The Society arranges an annual programme of lectures, visits, etc., in London and elsewhere, as well as publishing the Journal of Browning Studies. The aims of the Society are to widen the appreciation and understanding of the poetry of the Brownings, and other Victorian writers and poets, and to collect items of literary and biographical interest.

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The Children’s University

The Children's University is a national organisation that provides 7 to 14 year olds with exciting and innovative learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours. We celebrate achievement and reward participation through our certificates. Raising children's aspirations is important to us and we aim to develop the understanding that learning can be the satellite navigation to better places in life!

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The Down Syndrome Educational Trust

Down Syndrome Education International is a leading international charity dedicated to raising levels of educational achievement among children with Down syndrome. We have been at the forefront of developmental and educational research and evidence-based services improving outcomes for children with Down syndrome for over 30 years.

Visit the The Down Syndrome Educational Trust website ›

The Festival of Dartmoor Literature

The Dartmoor Society is an independent, lively group dedicated to sharing well-researched information and promoting the well-being of Dartmoor and its communities.

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The Othona Community

The Othona community has its roots in the aftermath of the second world war - its early pioneers created a movement that sought to pursue reconciliation and understanding between people of different faiths, cultures and nationalities.

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The Prince of Wales Art and Kids Foundation

Thousands of children leave school having never set foot in an art gallery, watched a performance in a theatre, or listened to an orchestra play. We know that early engagement with the arts has a positive impact on young people: raising aspirations, increasing confidence, improving communication skills and unlocking creativity. We champion the power of the arts to transform lives and strive towards a future where all children in the UK gain access to the arts.

Visit the The Prince of Wales Art and Kids Foundation website ›

Theatre Royal Bath

Brimming with history, the Theatre Royal Bath is one of the oldest and most beautiful theatres in Britain. Comprising three auditoria, the Main House, Ustinov Studio and the egg theatre for children and young people, a wonderfully varied programme of top quality entertainment is on offer all year round.

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Unicorn Theatre

Unicorn Theatre is a charity and relies on the support of organisations and individuals to raise the £500,000 needed each year to continue its world class work making theatre for and with children and young people.

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Villages in Action

Villages in Action (VIA) is a rural touring scheme based in Crediton, Devon that covers five of the rural Districts of Devon. We help to bring top quality professional performances and workshops at affordable prices to communities through a network of local volunteer promoters.

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What about the Children

What About The Children? was established as a national charity in 1994 to raise awareness about the emotional needs of children under three years old. We provide information from research for parents, professionals and policy makers, about the critical importance of secure primary attachment for healthy emotional development.

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If you would like to talk to Michael about being a patron of your charity, please email us ›