Emma and Rob Harrison, Sandfield Farm Worcestershire
Emma and Rob run two farms near Evesham, Worcestershire. Their 220 dairy herd are managed at Greystone Farm. Whilst Sandfield Farm, a 200 acre mixed farm with older calves, heifers, dry cows, bulls and has a small amount of arable, is where they have been hosting school groups for the past five years.
200 acre mixed farm
“When it comes to explaining why I do this, over and above anything else, it is because I am passionate about giving children the chance to get out into the fresh air and to enjoy the freedom that simply running about in an open field can bring,” says Emma.
“We want children to understand where good food comes from and to see for themselves the care and attention that goes into getting milk from the cow and into the food chain,” she says. “It also helps dispel myths about farming but above all it is so important to give children some freedom outdoors and to encourage a love rather than a fear of the countryside.”
Emma is already well-established and hosts 60 visits a year which are part of their Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Natural England. The majority of pupils are eight and nine-years-old from mainstream education with a mix of children from rural schools as well as from urban areas. An average of 30 children attend each time. “We have a portakabin as a classroom, two eco-toilets and hand-washing facilities using solar energy to warm the water.”
Over the years she has established a variety of activity programmes to suit the seasons, the needs of each school and the curriculum. “The sessions generally run from 10am-2pm. They enable us to promote farming, the importance of looking after wildlife and develop an appreciation of the countryside,” she says.
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