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Tel. 01579 370292 | email: martin@deerparkfarmcottages.co.uk


Information for Visitors

Booking a visit:
In the first instance, please email or telephone the farm. Visits are free but you will need to organise and pay for transport to the farm. Once a date has been agreed, you will be sent a confirmation letter, if required.

Teachers / group leaders are invited to come on a pre-visit to help ensure that your class / group get the most from their visit and to confirm health and safety arrangements.

Cancellation arrangements:
If you are unable to carry out your visit, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make alternative arrangements.

How to get here:
Grid reference: SX 385 733

From Launceston - take the A388 towards Callington. At Kelly Bray turn left onto the B3257 just past the Swingle Tree Pub, and continue for about 1 mile. At crossroads take left turn towards Luckett, down the hill towards the village. 1 mile down the hill the Farm entrance will be found on the left.

From Callington - take the A390 towards Tavistock. After 1 mile turn left on B3257 to Kelly Bray. Turn right at the crossroads after 1/4 mile towards Luckett. 1 mile down the hill the Farm entrance will be found on the left.

From Tavistock - take the A390 towards Callington. Follow the road over the Tamar at Gunnislake, and through St Anns Chapel. One mile beyond St Anns Chapel turn right on to the B3257 to Kelly Bray. Turn right at the crossroads after 1/4 mile towards Luckett. 1 mile down the hill the Farm entrance will be found on the left.

 

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On arrival:

Farmer, Martin Howlett, will meet you on your arrival and give any directions with regard to coach / mini-bus parking. The group will then be able to gather at the Farm Education Centre, located in the farm courtyard, for instructions covering the visit.

Facilities:

  • Specially created Farm Education Room with interpretative displays
  • Toilet facilities, including one easy-access WC
  • Hand washing facilities
  • Adjacent paved outdoor area for activities / eating packed lunches in good weather
  • Small kitchen area
  • Adapted trailer to take pupils / group members around the farm
  • Wildlife pond area for "Forest School" activities

A working family farm, providing the opportunity to see / study:

  • Livestock - including cattle and sheep - and even a llama!
  • Cereals - including barley, oats and beans
  • Fodder crops - including grass for grazing, silage and hay; maize and bio-fuel crop, Miscanthus
  • Hedgerows and wild flora
  • Mining heritage - including historic arsenic flue chimney and remains of former mine
  • Farm diversification projects - including wildlife area, Tipi's and holiday cottages

The visit:
We will discuss and then arrange your visit to suit the needs of your pupils / group and their specific area of study / interest - and according to the time of year. Activities can include:

  • Seeing animals up-close - especially at lambing time
  • A tour of the farm by tractor and adapted trailer
  • A look at the mining heritage on the farm
  • A look at the wildlife on the farm and environmental management
  • Time by our pond and tipis to carry out "Forest school" activities

Farmer, Martin Howlett, will talk to the group in the Education Room and lead the group on the tour of the farm and when visiting the animals. He is experienced in welcoming visitors of all ages to the farm - and in particular children - and is happy to talk about farming today and to answer any questions.

Guidance for when your group is on the Farm:

Behaviour
Teachers/group leaders are responsible for the pupil's behaviour throughout the visit. Pupils' should understand how to behave on the farm and always follow the Countryside Code (see below).

You can download a short guide to "How to Behave on the Farm" as a PDF file here.

Clothing
Make sure that pupils wear appropriate clothing, including sturdy outdoor shoes (not sandals) or wellington boots if possible.

Risk assessment
We recommend a pre-visit to our farm, during which you can carry out a risk assessment and become familiar with the site. Any specific requirements or needs of the visiting group can be discussed. A copy of the farm's risk assessment is available on request.

Health & safety
We comply with Health and Safety Regulations. However it is important that all pupils and supervising adults are aware of the correct Health and Safety guidelines.

The risk of infection is very small, but disease caused by an infection could be serious. By following simple guidelines, similar to everyday basic hygiene recommendations, the risk can be easily minimised.

The Health & Safety Executive has produced guidelines, HSE sheet AIS23 - Avoiding ill health at open farms - Advice to farmers. The supplement to AIS23 advises teachers and others who organise farm visits on controlling the risk of infection from animals which the pupils may have contact with during their visit.

All animals naturally carry a range of micro-organisms, some of which can be transmitted to humans, causing ill health. Some, such as the bacterium Escherichia coli O157 (E coli O157) cause infections which can potentially cause disease, which may be particularly acute in young pupils.

While the hazard from infection resulting from a farm visit is real, the risk can be readily controlled by following sensible steps which will help make your visit safe, healthy and enjoyable.

  • read and understand the advice in AIS23, and discuss visit arrangements with the farm management. Assure yourself that the facilities provided match the recommendations in AIS23
  • decide what the ratio of pupils to teachers/assistants/parents should be, using advice from your local authority. As a general rule, the ratio of supervisors to pupils should be 1:1 for pupils under 1 year old, 1:2 for pupils between 1 and 2 years old, 1:3 for pupils between 2 and 3 years old, 1:4 for pupils between 3 and 5 years old, and 1:8 for those between 5 and 8 years old. If supervision levels are less than this, you should not allow direct contact with any animal for pupils under eight. The ratio of supervisors for pupils between 9 and 11 years old should be 1:10-15, and 1:15-20 for pupils from 12 years old and above. These are examples only and group leaders should assess the risks and consider an appropriate safe supervision level for their particular group.
  • discuss with the supervisors, who may be parents or staff of the school, creche, etc. their role during the visit. They must understand the need to make sure that pupils wash, or are helped to wash, their hands thoroughly after contact with animals, and follow the other rules suggested below.
  • discuss with pupils the rules for the visit, stressing that they must not eat or chew outside the areas in which you permit them to do so.
  • check that cuts, grazes, etc. on pupil's hands are covered with a waterproof dressing.

During and after the visit, make sure that the pupils:

  • do not kiss animals.
  • always wash their hands thoroughly before and after eating, after any contact with animals, and again before leaving the farm.
  • eat only food that they have brought with them, or food for human consumption that they have bought on the farm, in designated areas, and never eat food which has fallen to the ground, or taste animal foods.
  • do not suck fingers or put hands, pens, pencils or crayons, etc. in their mouths.
  • clean or change their footwear before leaving, remembering to wash their hands after any contact with animal faeces on their footwear.
  • allow plenty of time before eating or leaving so that they do not have to rush.

Check that pupils stay in their allocated groups during the visit, and that they:

  • do not use or pick up tools (e.g. spades and forks) unless permitted to do so by farm staff
  • do not climb on to walls or animal pens, machinery, etc.
  • listen carefully, and follow the instructions and information given by the farm staff
  • approach and handle animals quietly and gently
  • do not chase, frighten or torment the animals.

You should supervise them during the visit, especially during hand washing, to make sure that each pupil washes thoroughly. Farm staff may be able to help with this supervision.

If a member of your group shows signs of illness (e.g. sickness or diarrhoea) after a visit, advise them or their parent/guardian to visit the doctor and explain that they have had recent contact with animals.

Further information:
Copies of the AIS23 information sheet and supplement and other useful Health and Safety leaflets are available free from
HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA
Tel: 01787 881165
Fax: 01787 313995
Website: www.hsebooks.co.uk

The Countryside Code:

  • Be safe - plan ahead and follow any signs
  • Leave gates and property as you find them
  • Protect plants and animals and take your litter home
  • Keep dogs under close control
  • Consider other people

www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk

Education packs are available from countrysidecode@face-online.org.uk

Accreditation (CEVAS):
Please contact farmer, Mr Martin Howlett, for details.

Evaluation Form:
Educational visits to Deer Park Farm are provided free of charge. In order for us to be able to claim a payment as part of our Environmental Stewardship Agreement we require that you complete an evaluation form which we will provide. Please take a few moments to complete this form after the visit and hand it to us before you leave. Additional feedback regarding the visit is also appreciated. Thank you.

Complaints procedure
If you have any complaints regarding your visit please inform us so that we are able to improve our service. You may also write to:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rural Development Service
Access Management Unit
Woodthorne
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV6 8TQ

 

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