Apple Tree Farm
Apple Tree Farm is a care farm based in North Devon, offering educational and therapeutic sessions for children and young people with disabilities and special needs. It was created by Brenda and her husband when they discovered firsthand how beneficial animals could be for children and young people with additional needs.
Apple Tree Farm was created by Brenda and her husband when their own experience led them to find out how beneficial animals can be for children with additional needs.
After attending some animal therapy sessions, Brenda completed a course on Animal-Assisted Therapy. It showed her even more ways in which children and young adults with disabilities could connect with animal-related activities, bringing very positive results to them. Since then, Brenda has achieved Therapeutic Farming accreditation with the Countryside Education Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS).
At Apple Tree Farm, they use their animals in encouraging and engaging sessions which they tailor specifically to meet each individual’s needs. You can take the donkeys through an obstacle course or just for a short stroll; you can feed the sheep. You can cuddle their two friendly dogs and whisper your troubles away to them or collect the eggs from the chickens and ducks on your tiptoes or using both hands. As well as interacting with the animals, children can do cooking, crafts, play and all sorts of activities.
In other words, they offer a safe and comfortable environment to encourage individuals to show their full potential and reach it!
Our funds will go towards some new accessible toilets as currently, they have to hire portaloos to accommodate the number of children now attending the farm. This will obviously save on hire costs and ensure the Farm can grow to meet the demand for these specialist services in Devon.
As well as all of the above, the farm also began to provide food parcels throughout the pandemic and continues to support a number of families with food parcels each week.
"I am honoured to have our little project supported by the Matthew Good Foundation and will be eternally grateful for the difference this funding will make to our childrens' lives. The work we carry out at the farm has become a lifeline for our local children and young people, and to be able to provide them with more opportunities to improve their life skills will make a huge difference. Thank you!"
