The Worgan Trust charity was set up by philanthropist Paul Cadbury in 1967 to protect and preserve land around Birmingham.
In 1972 Mr Cadbury, in conjunction with the City of Birmingham Education Department, started an educational unit for schoolchildren at Chapmans Hill Farm.This later became one of the environmental centres operated as part of Birmingham Council’s Outdoor Learning Service.
During the past 40 years more than 400,000 inner city primary and secondary schoolchildren from the Birmingham area have visited the original site at Chapmans Hill, its sister unit for younger children at Money Lane, and latterly Mount Pleasant.
In 2008 the Worgan Trust made the decision to move to a bigger dairy farm at Mount Pleasant Farm on land owned by the Bournville Village Trust estate. Here a £500,000 sustainably built classroom was built and worked in conjunction with Birmingham’s Outdoor Learning Service until July 2014.
When Birmingham closed down the entire Outdoor Learning Service the Worgan Trust decided to carry on with this unique venture. In December 2014 Mount Pleasant School Farm was recognised as a distinct charity by the Charity Commissioners, although operated through the Worgan Trust.
The Bournville Village Trust manages almost 2,500 acres of agricultural land including five farms in the green belt between Birmingham and Bromsgrove at Groveley, Chadwich and Weatheroak. Mount Pleasant School Farm, on its Weatheroak Estate near Kings Norton provides a rare opportunity for children and other organised groups to bring their classroom studies to life by visiting a 350-acre dairy farm and so learn where milk, beef and other food products come from.