Sussex children’s charity raises £26,000 for its therapy farm

A Sussex children’s charity is celebrating after raising more than £26,000 for its on-site therapy farm.
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Chailey Heritage Foundation - situated in Mid Sussex - is a charity providing education, care and transition services to children and young adults with complex physical disabilities. Their mission is to give disabled children and young adults every opportunity to pursue their fullest potential.

It has been taking part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge. Every pound raised by online donations between November 30 and December 7 was match funded under the national initiative.

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The annual fundraiser is a seasonal boost for Chailey Heritage and means that many more young people will have the opportunity to interact with the animals that live at Patchwork Farm.

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Chailey Farm 2 SUS-211213-102520001

Jemma Smith, a teacher at CHF, said: “The farm is fully accessible to children and young people with complex physical disabilities and high health needs. The interaction with the animals means they can help to look after things that move and grow; an essential part of growing up.

“We also see real improvements in communication and mobility skills, as a result of visits to the farm. We are so fortunate to have such an amazing resource on site.”

The farm was officially opened in 2016 by actor Christopher Timothy who starred as the vet James Herriott in the original BBC series “All Creatures Great and Small”.

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Today Patchwork Farm is home to all sorts of animals from guinea pigs to donkeys and from chickens to sheep.

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Chailey Farm 1 SUS-211213-101433001

The very special therapy farm has created some unique friendships like the one between 18-year-old Finn Humphrey from Worthing and a Shetland pony called NicNac. Their bond has helped to improve Finn’s communication skills and help him express his preferences.

Will Folkes, the Charity’s Fundraising Manager, said: “We’re so grateful to all our supporters, our corporate sponsors, Thorne Group, Adavirtual, Sunninghill Construction, the Personal Travel Agents, E3 Events, Finance Planning, and Creative Podand our Big Give Charity Champion, Candis Magazine, who have between them helped us to achieve our goal.

“Patchwork Farm relies entirely on donations and so we are now looking forward to being able to continue to provide this very special therapy to all the children and young people in our care.”

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Further information about Chailey Heritage Foundation can be found by Web - www.chf.org.uk YouTube - www.youtube.com/ChaileyHeritageFound; Twitter - @chaileyheritage and Facebook - www.facebook.com/ChaileyHeritageFoundation.