Sir Michael Morpurgo on 50 years of farms for city children, storytelling and hope

As Sir Michael Morpurgo celebrates 50 years of Farms for City Children with his new book Down Burrow Lane, he tells Liz Nicholls why stories, nature, animals & hope matter more than ever.

Great things can grow from little acorns. Some 50 years ago, Michael and Clare Morpurgo had an idea: give children from cities the chance to spend time on a farm, get their hands dirty and discover the natural world. Half a century and more than 105,000 children later, this little acorn has grown into Farms for City Children – and Michael is still planting seeds of another kind through his stories.

50 years of connecting children with nature

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Farms for City Children, the charity Michael and his wife Clare founded in 1976 after moving to Devon. Their vision was to give children from urban areas the chance to experience the countryside for themselves: to work on a farm, care for animals, understand where food comes from and discover the rhythms of the natural world.

Young people, and their teachers, from across the UK, have spent time on these farms. As Michael celebrates the anniversary with the publication of Down Burrow Lane, he believes that this connection is more important than ever. “It matters more than ever that every child can experience the connection with the countryside and with nature,” he tells us.

The work isn’t always easy. In fact, that’s partly the point… “The work the children do is hard, but they know it’s essential and important, that it matters to the animals, to the farm, that it matters.”

In an increasingly digital world, there’s something powerful about a week mucking in outdoors. Animals need feeding. Fields need tending. Jobs need doing. Children discover that their actions have consequences, and with that can come confidence, stronger relationships and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

“They know it belongs to them now, it is theirs to care for,” Michael says. “The effect on children of this kind of experience can last their whole life.”

How the countryside shaped Michael Morpurgo’s stories

It was this extraordinary world that helped transform Michael’s own life and writing. When he and Clare arrived in Devon, he was a dad, teacher and writer still finding his voice. The children who came to the farm began to shape his stories, while the landscape and community around him opened up a new world.

“I was learning all the time and drinking in this new world, becoming part of it,” he adds.

Fifty years on, the countryside remains deeply embedded in his storytelling. So too does his belief that children deserve to be told the truth, even when that truth is difficult. This feels particularly resonant in November, when Remembrance gives us a moment to reflect on generations who lived through war and on the conflicts still shaping children’s lives today.

Why children need honest stories about war

Michael grew up surrounded by the memories and consequences of war. His stories, including War Horse and Private Peaceful, have introduced millions of young readers to the human cost of conflict.

“I write about it because I want people to understand the absolute futility of war,” he says.

Talking honestly to children about war, he believes, does not mean frightening them. It means respecting them.

“We have to be careful not to traumatise them when talking to them about the difficulties of the world, about war. But nonetheless, I think we need to talk straight about these issues and look children in the eye.”

This is a vital lesson children themselves have taught him over the decades: “Never to patronise, to speak things straight, to listen, to tell truth in my fiction, to pass on what I care about.”

The special bond between children and animals

Perhaps this also explains why animals are such a powerful presence in his stories. Growing up and living among them gave Michael an insight into the bond between children and creatures.

“I think for many children, an animal helps them go to places they would otherwise not venture into,” he says. “With a dog as companion, a child can empathise more readily.”

For a storyteller, this relationship can provide a way into difficult emotions.

The books that inspire a lifelong storyteller

Michael’s own love of stories began at bedtime, listening to his actor mother reading to him and his brother. He remembers Treasure Island as the first book he truly lost himself in, identifying with Jim Hawkins.

Today, one of the books he returns to is The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono, the story of one man’s quiet determination to transform a landscape.

“I love the humanity of this story and how one man’s efforts can change the future for so many,” he says. “It’s a real message of hope.”

After more than 50 years, he is still fascinated by storytelling.

“I don’t understand it, and I don’t want to,” he says. “I just love doing it, telling the tale, living it as I tell it.”

Down Burrow Lane is out now, published by Hodder & Stoughton. We have five copies to be won; please visit our competition’s page.

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