The idea
The Wye Community Farm is a well-established group where youngsters have mastered farming skills, to the point of winning prizes at high profile shows. We'd like to see a matching scheme for the junior youngsters, from 8 to 12 years.
Junior farm club will be a weekly, free of charge, session for local
young families wishing to enthuse their kids on all things food, farming
and the natural environment.
Example activities would be: collect the eggs (to take home), feed the pigs, tend to the sheep through the shepherd's calendar from tupping to lambing, halter train a calf to take to Kent County Show, foraging walks around the farm, natural dye sessions to colour the sheep fleece, have a junior farm club incubator to rear flock replacements, and much more.
What we'll deliver
- Specific sundries: Junior sized tools, wheelbarrows etc. Incubator. Show equipment: halters, and more £1000
- Supervisor for weekly junior farm club. Objective: end of year 1 forward, voluntary parent pool to continue. £2000.
- Overheads: rent, insurance, utilities. £1000
Why it's a great idea
This project will be invaluable to those families looking for free, stimulating activity for their kids to engage them with their local countryside.
There are lots of low income young families in the local rural area, where the usual activities for 8-12 yr olds of sport, music etc are prohibitively expensive. The Junior Farm Club would counter the expense and come with the occasional benefit like free food. More importantly, it would teach necessary farming skills and enhance self-sufficiency at an early age.
Steps to get it done
- Getting a supervisor for weekly junior farm club session
- Acquiring sundries like Junior sized tools, wheelbarrows etc. Using the incubator. Showing equipment: halters etc
