Schools Open Farm 2007

Over two days 1300 primary school children visited Heaves Farm where they were introduced to many aspects of farming and had a great time as well.

The Farm Open Days held on the 27 and 28 June were an overwhelming success. The quick response from primary schools guaranteed our biggest numbers yet with 29 schools attending, many for the first time. Almost 1300 children, plus teachers and assistants, not forgetting the demonstrators and helpers, meant that Heaves Farm was a very busy place!! The transport - courtesy of Staintons of Kendal - was provided and arranged by the Westmorland Agricultural Society. The schools were also given a wide range of resource materials to enable follow up work to be done in the classrooms. Material was sourced from many different agencies, such as HSE, the Countryside Agency and Growing Well at Sizergh and others. Organised by the Rural Links committee and Pat Bell and Barbara Huddleston, the children were given an insight into life on a working farm. Demonstrations and activities included sheep shearing, spinning and weaving, sheepdog handling, dry stonewalling, and poultry keeping including some baby chicks! The children were also taken on a nature walk and around the milking parlour where a video of milking-time was shown. The sheep shower was once again very popular and new for this year were the wooden cows which could be milked in the 'old fashioned way'.

Let the children say what they thought...
"The chicks they were all nise and fluffy" "I learned about the lanolin under the sheeps wool" "I liked the sheep having its hair done and the sheep wouldn't stay still" "I liked pretending to milk the pretend cows, in the old fashioned way, it was the best thing I did" "I liked the sheep washing machine we went through it" "My favourite bit was on the nature walk it was fantastic" "It was the best farm ever"
"It was the best school trip ever!"

Thanks go to Roger, Carol and Gary Mason of Heaves Farm who once again hosted this amazing event and to the many Society members who volunteered their services as stewards, demonstrators and general helpers. Thanks also to Dairy UK who kindly donated a carton of milk for each child, to Genus for providing hand-wipes and to Cheshire NFU for loaning the wooden cows. To see more pictures and read thoughts from the days, by children and schools why not visit the Rural Links stand in the Learning for Life marquee at the Show. A DVD is also available if you would like to see more about the days. A very worthwhile event!