VED1: Educational access visits
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-03)

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the educational access visits item.

This item is part of Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Capital Grants 2025 guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-grants-2025) to understand the rules and how to apply. If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) to understand the rules and how to apply.

How much you’ll be paid

£363 per visit

How this item benefits the environment

It allows groups of people to visit farms and woodlands and better understand:
- the countryside
- farming
- food production
- woodland management
It promotes general health and wellbeing by encouraging people to explore the landscape and learn about its wildlife and history.

Where you can use this item

The agreement will last for 3 years, and you can host up to 25 funded farm or woodland visits each year. The maximum you can claim is £9,075 per year, up to £27,225 over 3 years of the agreement.

You can use this item to host educational visits to your farm or woodland. You must have a separate agri-environment or woodland agreement with management actions or options to be eligible for this item. You can also use neighbouring land (with the owner’s permission) to meet the needs of the group.

If you have a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreement running alongside this capital item, you will need to re-apply for VED1 every 3 years.

You cannot use this item if you have a Countryside Stewardship agreement with ED1: Educational access or an Environmental Stewardship Higher Level Stewardship agreement with HN8CW and HN9CW: Educational access payments.

What you must do to use this item

You must carry out a risk assessment before each visit and provide a copy of the assessment to visiting group leaders.

The visit should include a tour lasting at least 2 hours, The tour should be led by a member of staff or volunteer who suits the visitors’ needs.

During the tour explain the links between farming, conservation, food production, or woodland management using the land as a classroom.

Complete a site visit declaration form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/site-visit-declaration-form-capital-grants) for each visit - the visiting group leader must sign this form at the end of their visit.

You must not:
- charge for visits
- receive any other direct income relating to the educational visit
- claim for more than one group visiting at the same time
Evidence you must keep

You must keep copies of the site visit declaration form and provide them when you make a claim for payment.

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants, and Protection and Infrastructure grants (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agreement-holders-guide-capital-grants-higher-tier-capital-grants-and-protection-and-infrastructure-grants-2025) for more information.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht).

Other items you can use with this item

You can use this item with:
- AC1: Access capital items (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/access-capital-items-ac1)
- AC2: Countryside educational access visits accreditation (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/countryside-educational-access-visits-accreditation-ac2)
Advice to help you use this item

More information about hosting visits is available from:
- Countryside classroom (https://www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/) the industry led place to promote your farm.
- Country Trust (https://www.countrytrust.org.uk/get-involved/be-a-host) supports farmers and landowners to welcome disadvantaged children and young people from all backgrounds onto their farms to access the working countryside.
- LEAF Education (https://education.leafuk.org/) educates children and young people about food and farming in a sustainable countryside.
- Social Farms & Gardens (http://www.carefarminguk.org/) offers support and resources on the therapeutic use of farms (care farming).
- Visit My Farm (http://www.visitmyfarm.org/) has resources for land managers to support educational visits, ideas for successful visits, health and safety information and suggestions on how to maximise visitor numbers and enjoyment.
- Industry code of practice to prevent ill health to visitors to the farm (https://visitmyfarm.org/resources/code-of-practice)
- Forest Education Network (England) - Royal Forestry Society (https://rfs.org.uk/fene/) has resources for land managers to support with forest education.