Sandy’s Farm was founded by Sandy and Gary in October 2020. As parents of children with learning difficulties we soon discovered the calming and positive effects being around animals can have. As a family, we would regularly visit open farms and animal sanctuaries all over the country. Our love for all animals meant we soon grew a collection of all sorts at home, rescuing lots of wildlife, cats, dogs and eventually 2 Goats! Over time our collection outgrew our home, and the opportunity came up for us to rent some land in Walton. We found out about Therapy and Care farms and before long we were approached by lots of organisations, community groups, care homes, charities and individuals all wanting to be involved.
Our collection of animals had outgrown the site in Walton and since May 2022, we have been really blessed to find a beautiful part of the Essex Countryside to continue our dream of setting up and running a care farm for many people, from different backgrounds to enjoy. We have built lots of contacts and have a brilliant group of dedicated volunteers. The team has been able to provide a facility for students on placements from Universities, Colleges, schools and training providers to learn and develop skills in a safe and inspirational place. Students work alongside other adult volunteers from organisations that support people with learning difficulties, from neurodiverse backgrounds and mental health issues. The site will be developed to make it accessible for all to come and benefit from being in nature, to attend to the animals, the gardening and to make use of all the facilities we will have available.
We will keep everyone updated on our website and social media pages with our progress, introducing new and exciting activities over the coming months and years. We would love to have as many people as possible getting involved and benefiting from this amazing project. Please get in contact to find out more.