00:00Grapes aren't the only thing growing at this vineyard in Elam, so are the students at the
00:06Fifth Trust. Around 2,000 vines here are tended to by the many students that come to the charity.
00:13One of the main things that the students get involved with is keeping the vineyard tidy
00:17so the grass needs cutting between the rows pretty much every week and strimming. The
00:23leaves also need, occasionally there needs to be some leaf removal so that more sun
00:27and air can get through to the grapes.
00:29The vineyard here at the Fifth Trust is incredibly valuable for the students. It gives them
00:34a chance to get out of the classroom and to get stuck in with the year-round job of tending
00:40to the vines.
00:41What's your favourite part about helping out with the vineyard?
00:44I did mowing here, mowed it all. I mowed, yeah.
00:50Training in the vines, working in the cafe and that, and working in the rose walks, you know.
01:03It's, it's so amazing to be part of a charity, to be part of a charity, and it's amazing. It's
01:14so fantastic. I love it here.
01:16What's your favourite part of being part of the Fifth Trust?
01:20Helping out, encouraging people, and also like, like to help other students when they enrol.
01:31This vineyard serves an important purpose for the students. It gives them essential life
01:37skills and more confidence. Research from 2025 showed that around 5% of adults with learning
01:45disabilities known to their local authority in England were in employment. As part of the
01:51Kentish Wine Way campaign launched in August, the vineyard here is showing just how diverse
01:56Kent vineyards can be. Our students see that when they're looking at their social media and it
02:02fulfils them with, with value and purpose is that they're contributing to this and it, it's an amazing project.
02:09And the team here say that being outdoors is essential for the students well-being.
02:14Whether we're up the woods, whether we're out delivering logs, whether we're doing a garden maintenance job,
02:18they feel part of something, they feel part of a team, they feel normalcy, almost, as they see what
02:24everyone else is doing. There's no reason why they can't do that. Now this year's harvest is over,
02:29the students here will begin the growing process all over again, ready for next year. Justine Latter for KMTV in
02:37Elam.
