Whirlow Hall Farm Trust Joins Sheffield Half Marathon for the First Time

27.3.2025

On Sunday, 23rd March 2025, Whirlow Hall Farm Trust proudly took part in the Sheffield Half Marathon for the first time.

With four dedicated runners donning their race numbers on top of Whirlow’s florescent running t-shirts to support our vital work with vulnerable children and young adults.

The event was a fantastic success, with our runners collectively raising over £1,000. These funds will go directly towards our activities where we empower young lives through our farm-based educational and therapeutic programmes.

Amongst our amazing runners was Esther, mum to Benjamin, 24, who has attended our Whirlow LIFE (Learning In a Farming Environment) programme two days a week since leaving school in 2020. Before this, Benjamin had attended autism playschemes at Whirlow and even had a birthday party here!

The students who attend the Whirlow LIFE programme for young people over 18 all struggle with a range of moderate to severe learning disabilities. At Whirlow they get involved in real jobs on the farm ranging from mucking out and feeding the turkeys at Christmas to learning to cook in our learning kitchen, The Gateway, and cleaning The Barn Cafe.

Esther told us: “Benjamin’s favourite job is poo picking! He knows he is going to work on his farm days, and he feels a sense of pride and achievement each day.

“I’m so proud to join Team Whirlow and raise funds for the wonderful service they provide at the farm. I’ve run the Great North Run and the London Landmarks previously, but this might be the biggest challenge with five of the 13 miles up some of Sheffield’s steepest hills! Whirlow offers support for some of Sheffield’s most vulnerable young people so what’s a few miles and hills compared to all they overcome each day.

We are thrilled Esther joined Team Whirlow along with Rosie, Jonathan and Ross. We are incredibly grateful to our runners for their commitment and to everyone who sponsored them. Their efforts will make a real difference to the lives of the young people we support.

A huge thank you also goes to our incredible volunteers, who formed a cheer squad and helped marshal the event. Their energy and enthusiasm gave our runners – and many others – the motivation to keep going. Our students also got involved by creating a brilliant chicken-inspired "Push for Power" sign, which proved to be a big hit with runners as they tapped it for an extra boost of energy!

Thank you to everyone who made this first year such a success. We plan for this to become a regular event for Whirlow, so watch this space if you’d like to get involved in 2026!

For more updates and to find out how you can support Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, join our mailing list here.