Member Article

Animals, staff and visitors all set to benefit from improved facilities at city centre farm

Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle has invested over £8,500 to improve its facilities which will not only benefit visitors and animals but staff and volunteers alike.

The money has been re-invested as part of a £17,000 donation made earlier this year by the Mila Charitable Organisation and has been used to build a fodder store, new enclosures in the small animal’s room and new tools and equipment for the farm’s carpentry workshop.

A wooden fodder store has been built within the grounds of the farm to protect the large bale hay and haylage that is required to feed many of the large animals. Animals such as sheep, cows and pigs are fed large bales of hay during the winter months and the farm experiences wastage through spoilage because of the exposure to the elements.

The new 20ft x 10ft fodder store means that the large bales can be stored undercover, protecting them from the wind and rain and preventing access to the public.

It’s not just the larger animals who are set to benefit from new facilities but smaller animals too. The farm’s degus, tortoises, chinchillas, terrapins, lizards, parrots, hamsters, rats, chicks and ducklings, tropical fish, snakes and insects will all soon enjoy their new surroundings.

Over the winter, the small animal’s room at the farm will be upgraded and reconfigured providing new enclosures and improving access and interaction with many of its visitors.

Dozens of visitors enjoy the small animals room every week including large groups of school parties consisting of up to 60 children twice per week. The new enclosures will improve interaction such as ‘live’ displays and a hatchery to demonstrate the life cycle of poultry and an edged table for small animal interaction and talks. The room will also benefit from high quality information displays improving visitor experience and maximising educational benefits.

Again, thanks to funding from Mila Charitable Organisation, the charity has also invested in new tools and equipment at its carpentry workshop on Wilfred Street in Byker. The workshop provides training and work experience to vulnerable adults, including those facing homelessness, poor mental health and learning disability/difficulty, teaching them carpentry and wood-working skills.

The workshop currently supports over 15 regular trainees and volunteers along with casual visitors who repair donated furniture and create new items while benefitting from learning new skills, making social connections, developing confidence and starting on a journey into employment and further training opportunities.

Due to the number of people using the tools and equipment daily, many of the items needed to be replaced. Investment in new tools will help the charity to continue providing training and support for the foreseeable future.

Sally Adams from Ouseburn Farm, said: “As a charity, we are constantly looking a new ways and initiatives to raise much needed funding to be able to improve the experience and on-site facilities for our staff, volunteers and visitors. Funding is generated through visitors, grants and corporate donations and we re-invest all donations back into the farm.

“These latest works will not only benefit our staff and volunteers but will also improve customer experience and the facilities for all of our animals.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Up North Communications .