Around 600 visitors attended an open day at The Community Farm on Saturday (Sept 29) to take part in a range of fun events for all the family. The Farm, based at Wallberry Farm on the Carnane Estate off the Old Castletown Road in Douglas, raised ?500 from the event which will go towards funding a project in which primary school children will visit to learn more about farming, food production, rural life and the environment.
The open day included stalls, craft displays, a welly throwing tournament, and refreshments provided by the Women’s Institute. A life-size model cow was used to show visitors how to milk a cow by hand. A range of produce competitions were organised for adults and children including contests for the best the cupcakes, shortbread, jam, marmalade, chutney and honey. As well as all of these events the open day provided an opportunity for everyone to see the variety of animals on the farm including pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, the farm dog and farm cats and Juan the donkey.
Chrissy Cannell, Farm Development Officer, thanked everyone who attended including the 47 volunteers who helped on the day. She said:
“We’re really pleased that so many people visited for the open day, it was great to see so many families and children having fun while learning more about The Community Farm. A big thank you to all of the volunteers from The Children’s Centre, Barclays, and Women’s Institute groups from Arbory, Ballabeg and Port St Mary, as they all made a significant contribution to the success of the open day and we are extremely grateful for their support.”
Chrissy also thanked all of the stall holders who provided added attractions at the event. Greeba Mushrooms and Pet Poultry were among the stall holders who attended. Saturday’s event was the third open day hosted by The Community Farm following on from two open days in the spring which attracted more than 1,100 visitors.
Since The Community Farm project began in January 2011 staff and volunteers have been creating an environment in which children and young people from across the Island can learn, from practical experience, the skills needed to care for animals and to grow crops. The farm also has workshops where children learn skills that will be put to good use in maintaining and repairing farm tools and machinery. The Community Farm is a charitable project run by The Children’s Centre and relies on donations and voluntary workers supporting the project.
For more information about The Community Farm go to http://www.thechildrenscentre.org.im/what-we-do/community-farm/ or contact Chrissy Cannell, Farm Development Officer, on 610540 or by emailing farm@thechildrenscentre.org.im.
Photo caption - Children learn how to milk a cow at The Community Farm open day.
