High Mead Farm is a non-profit organisation in Ferndown which offers a day service to people living with mental health issues, physical disabilities and learning difficulties to name but a few and those attending will engage in an array of interesting activities on the farm including animal feeding and care, woodwork, gardening, arts & crafts, blacksmithing and more.

During the year there’s open days and special events which allow the public to visit and experience all of the wonderful things they do.

When we arrived on a recent open day we were greeted warmly on arrival and set off to have a look at some of the animals which included goats, horses, pigs, rabbits, alpacas and chickens.

The kids quickly spotted other children playing and found a trampoline, a fun mud kitchen with big bowls for creating a muddy apple stew plus there was some outdoor toys and games.  I’d packed a picnic and went off in search for a cuppa and we sat in a delightful little garden area to eat lunch.  Annoyingly we later spotted a BBQ so next time we go we’ll ditch the picnic and have a burger instead.

We had a wander after lunch and said hi to the local fire brigade and popped our noses in the small buildings which were running workshops including crafts.  The kids then made a beeline for the farm shop and we bought some lovely fresh eggs, fruit, veg and meat for home.

In one of the fields the kids found some super cool handmade cars with big handles and you could fly them along to crash into empty cardboard boxes.  This amused them greatly and could of easily kept them occupied for hours!  Before we left they had one last play on the trampoline while I had another cup of tea and then we were off.

I do hope High Mead Farm continues these open days and we’ll look forward to returning one day, hopefully when the weather is a little less grey and windy!  Entry was free when we visited however I would definitely recommended taking some cash to support the farm and the services they offer.

To keep up to date with news and events or to make any enquiries, please visit High Mead Farm.