Animal Care

The Farm

A busy and popular area of work for our service users. There is always plenty to do with the donkeys, goats, calves, sheep & lambs, and chicken.  Every day, whatever the weather, the animals need to be looked after. This work teaches our service users the importance and responsibility of daily animal care. Learning about the care that the animals need can bring a great sense of personal satisfaction as well as a general feeling of wellbeing.

Amazing opportunities

We give our service users the amazing opportunity to work closely with the animals to develop a valuable and rewarding bond. This work allows service users to work well as a team to meet the demands of the animals, but also allows our service users to build good relationships with each animal and understand their individual personalities. Service users learn to observe each animal’s behaviour and determine their likes and dislikes. Whatever level of ability, service users are constantly learning to develop essential skills and confidence levels.

To make the most out of this rewarding experience, we encourage service users to participate in all aspects of animal care, this includes cleaning out, making new beds of straw, feeding, grooming, and leading animals out to grazing and bringing them back in again.

When commencing work on the yard, each service user will have an introductory period when rules and regulations are explained. They will be observing and taking part gradually, they may also choose to have another experienced service user to support and guide them who will be working in the same group.

Health & Safety is a top priority, we have a full time Health & Safety Adviser on site. There are notices around the yard with certain rules and regulations that must be followed. All working areas have been made as safe as possible, and although risks cannot be eliminated, our determination and focus ensure that these risks are greatly minimised.

GET IN TOUCH

If you are interested in attending our Centre and would like to find out more then, please contact us on 01227 478564 or email us at reception@thejohngrahamcentre.co.uk. We will book a visit for you to have a walk around the farm and our wonderful site.