Down on the farm

Mornings on Coneygarth Farm in Haxey, South Yorkshire can be even more exciting than an episode of Bob the Builder. This is when cows and lambs are fed in the yard and the big yellow tractor roars into action. To eager young observers in the nursery viewing area, it just doesn't get any better.

'Children love watching the activity,' says Carol Cooper who, along with husband Martin, runs the farm and nursery. 'There is always something going on and the children are fascinated by the vehicles and animals.'

The concept of a working farm and nursery is undoubtedly an exciting one.

While it may be costly to convert crude buildings such as barns into safe and user-friendly nursery space, many are now doing so with the help of grants from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Rural Enterprise Scheme. This recognises the need for farms to diversify their businesses and provide much-needed facilities for the wider community.

In demand

The success of Coneygarth Farm Nursery highlights how farm nurseries have an important role to play in rural areas where nursery provision can be poor.

Local demand for nursery places was 'desperate' when the Coopers opened the nursery in 1997 - the nearest setting was 12 miles away. 'Initially we converted a barn which took 20 children, of which three were babies, and in the first year we turned away 28 babies,' says Ms Cooper.

The following year the Coopers converted a milking parlour into a baby unit and then added a brick conservatory to the side of the barn which provides an ideal farm viewing area. Most recently they have converted the rest of the farm buildings into an out-of-school club for 28 children.

Ms Cooper believes that children gain a unique education on farm nurseries: 'Activities like feeding lambs or seeing cows being milked are very special experiences for a young child,' she says.

'We also involve the children in areas of the farm where we are taking the land back to its natural state. They recently planted their own nursery wood and each tree has a certificate by it, with the name of the child who planted it.'

Great outdoors

Thorne Manor nursery in Holsworthy, Devon, similarly anticipates that nursery activities will be very much focused on the great outdoors when it opens soon on a working dairy farm. The idea for the nursery came about when owners Angela and Julian Plank were trying to find a use for a vacant farm building.

'We quickly discovered that there was a huge gap in the market for childcare in the area, especially as 500 family homes had just been built in Holsworthy itself,' Ms Plank says. 'We were successful in obtaining a diversification grant from Defra, which contributed 30 per cent of the total 80,000 required to convert the building into a modern, open-plan nursery.'

Children will benefit from a special pets area and a viewing gallery for the milking parlour. 'Contact with animals in a safe and controlled environment is educational and teaches children respect,' says Ms Plank.

Smile Day Nursery in the hamlet of High Biggins in Cumbria also benefited from a Defra grant and is now registered for 62 children in a converted milking parlour.

Manager Tracey Wyatt says the children spend as much time outdoors as possible and have recently planted spring bulbs. 'It is a learning curve for the children, following up sessions in the nursery with related activities outside. There is so much scope to get their hands dirty and it is great fun,' she says.

Healthy living

When it comes to hygiene all the farm nurseries are quick to point out they have rigorous handwashing routines to prevent any risk of infections.

'It is a question of close supervision,' says Ms Wyatt. 'We always have a ratio of one teacher to three children so that handwashing is strictly carried out.'

Rachel Bell is one parent who is delighted that her children have been able to attend a farm nursery. Both of her boys have been at Coneygarth Farm since they were babies and now at the ages of two and three love it.

'The fact that they can ride on tractors and have contact with the animals adds a wonderful dimension to the nursery experience,' she says.

Further information

* The Rural Enterprise Scheme is part of the England Rural Development Programme. Its primary aim is to help farmers adapt to changing markets and develop new business opportunities. For further information visit the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk or contact your local Rural Development Service office.