Education
We provide an incubator, 1 dozen fertile eggs, chick crumb, brooder and chick pen plus instruction & support over a 4 week period. Cost £80.
Delivery & Collection can be arranged for an additional charge.
Or if you have your own incubator we can provide 1 dozen fertile eggs & chick crumb for just £15.
School Visits and Animobiles are only available Mon to Thurs.
We bring along a selection of our smaller animals for children/groups to find out about, feel and feed, including lambs / small sheep and goat kids / nanny goat. These are housed in two 7 foot square pens for the duration of their visit. We also bring a rabbit & guinea pig, hen & duck plus chicks &/or ducklings (when available). These are all housed in an appropriate cage or hutch.
Prices start from £75 for a morning or afternoon session.
Please phone for availability and exact price for your area.
The animobile may be used as a general introduction to animals, healthy eating or any other theme/topic as required.
Don't worry if you have bad weather We can set up indoors or outside if there is shelter available.
These must be booked in advance.
They can be general or topic specific. Duration approximate. 1 hour and include:
- Goat milking demonstration (mornings only).
- Feed for animals.
- Opportunity to stroke some of our rabbits, guinea pigs, hens, goats & sheep.
- Friendly & informative tour leaders.
- Wheelchair accessible sheds plus viewing sheds with low level windows.
- Resource Room for use of school groups (limited seating available).
Other facilities include our small café & shop (souvenirs from £1.50), hand-washing & toilets and play areas.
GUIDED TOUR CHARGES FOR GROUPS OF 15 AND MORE
Peak [March to September]: Adults £2 - Child £2.50
Off Peak [Oct to Feb]:Adults £2 - Child £1.50
(1 adult goes free of charge for every 10 paying children)
NB: Groups of 15 or more must have a guided tour. For groups of less than 15 who do not require a guided tour, normal admission charges apply (Peak [March to September] : Adults £2 - Children £1 , Off Peak [Oct to Feb]: Adults £1 - Children 50p).
Want to make a day of it? Use our woodland walk (trail leaflet available to guide yourself around) or give the children an opportunity for a Horse Ride at £2.00 per head. Goat’s milk ice-cream can also be pre-ordered at just £1 a tub.
CANCELLATION CHARGE: Please note that should you cancel a visit after confirmation of a booking has been received then we reserve the right to charge you a cancellation fee equivalent to a minimum group fee, currently £30.
Click here to download this PDF Health & Safety guide and Risk Assessment (See bottom of page for Adobe Reader).
Guidelines for Health & Safety
Pre-tour visits welcomed.
Liaise with school/group leader re: requirements of the visit.
General Health & Safety Checks – on going.
Daily (outside)
- Animal health
- Fencing
- Work areas/ use of tools
- Appropriate display of notices (whilst work in operation or during lambing, kidding or farrowing)
- Adhere to prevailing guidelines – e.coli, salmonella, foot and mouth
- Play area
- Hand washing (soap and paper roll available).
Building
- Provision of hand-washing facilities (including soap and paper towels) and toilets.
- Access to baby change and disabled toilet.
- Shop/café/building access points
First Aid Facilities (should mention in meet & greet talk to teachers)
- First Aid kit kept in the office
- Accident book kept in the office
- Qualified First Aiders (at least one is on site at all times)
- Appointed Health & Safety contact
Fire Procedure (should mention in meet & greet talk to teachers)
- To exit building by nearest safe exit point and assemble in the car park
Building
- Exits clearly signed
- Fire assembly point in the car park
- Register of service users kept
- Visits diary checked re: booked tours
- Staff in/out book to be checked
Staff, trainees and service users follow an induction procedure which covers the above items.
Car Park
- Ensure adult supervision when passing through the car park
Guided Tours
- Pre-tour visits welcomed and encouraged (farm open 7 days a week). Liaise with staff.
- Carry out periodic evaluations re: services provided.
- Meet & greet talk covers issues such as : hand washing/toilets.
- No eating during tour. If staying for dinner, encourage groups to leave packed lunches on coaches or in the classroom provided.
- We provide the food for the animals. Follow the directions of the tour leader. Only touch / feed those encouraged to do so. Not the pigs or horses. Mention at the start of the tour and again before we get to the animals and the reasons for this.
- Horses brought into the arena. Children go up the ramp so as to be on a level with the horses head.
- Ensure entry doors are secured.
- Gates always shut behind us.
- Horse Rides booked in advance. Provide hard hats and specialist safety equipment eg. Devonshire boots on stirrups to stop feet slipping through. Minimum of three staff, 1 to lead, 1 to side walk and 1 to help with mounting and dismounting.
- Wet weather facilities include Horse Arena (horses locked in the stables).
- Classroom (seating for 12 adults on chairs) for approximate. 30 children.
- Follow tour leader around the farm.
- Only book in one large group at a time.
Picnic Areas
- Away from the animals
Glasshouse
- Out of bounds. Access points are kept locked
Tools
- Usually kept locked away. Site tidied at the end of the day
Site
- We have up to date public liability insurance. Members of Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and National Association of Farms for Schools. Education Officer is CEVAS (Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme) qualified.
We follow appropriate good practice guides.
Animobiles Risk Assessments for School / Group Visits
School Visits and Animobiles are only available Mon to Thurs.
Meet and greet talk with both staff and pupils to check on group requirements for the day and to talk to pupils re: animal handling/hand washing/safety issues.
- All animals kept in appropriate cages/hutches
- Introduced to children, explain about how we feel different parts e.g. feet & feathers of hens & ducks NOT beaks.
- Rabbits & guinea pigs – direction to stroke i.e. head to tail
- Large animals wear harnesses/collars as appropriate to size and age
- Kept in separate dedicated 7’ square pens
- Remind children if necessary about not climbing on pens
- All animals provided with food & water
- Show how to feed larger animals – remind about hand washing
- At end of session remind about importance of hand washing before doing anything else
- End of visit – put animals away. Dismantle pens, sweep up & wash down play area. If inside fold up plastic sheeting to remove any animal debris.
- Arrival/departure in vehicle, ensure access points are clear & safe to proceed
- Some children may have asthma/skin allergies (advisable to seek consent from parents prior to our visit to ascertain if there will be any children who are just to look and not touch.
When bringing out young lambs/kids (up to about 6 weeks of age) staff made aware so anyone who could be pregnant can avoid handling them
Normal admission charges apply if your group consists of less than 15 members:
Peak [March to September] : Adults £2 - Children £1
Off Peak [Oct to Feb]: Adults £1 - Children 50p
Under 3 years old are free of charge!
Adobe Reader is required to view the form, if you do not yet have Adobe Reader, please click the PDF icon on the left.