LOCATION!

We are located 4 miles north of Cirencester, between the villages of North Cerney, and Woodmancote. From A435 you take the turning towards Bagendon, go up past the Church to the T junction. Turn right towards Woodmancote and Scrubditch Farm is approximately 100 yards on the right. The Care Farm is situated down the drive, up the track on the left.
From A417, turn off at Perrotts Brook/Daglingworth, and proceed towards Perrotts Brook. Just before the A435, turn left towards Woodmancote. Go for approximately 1 1/2 miles and Scrubditch Farm is on the right, just past the Bagendon/North Cerney Cross Roads.

Tuesday 4 September 2018

AUTUMN TERM BEGINS!



Dear all, after the hottest summer on record, we are now starting our next term.  During the summer holidays Tigger (yes the runt of last year's litter) had her first brood - 9 gorgeous piglets!  They are all doing well, although we do seem to have Tigger no. 2 who is quite a bit smaller....we were worried we would lose her during the first 24 hours, and ended up giving her 'lamb quick start' as we didn't have anything hand for piglets!

We took Tigger,  her piglets, our halter trained ewes, Beatrice & Alice, and 3 bantams to a Fete last weekend - they all behaved beautifully, and caused a real stir in the grounds of a beautiful house in the Cotswolds!  Tigger managed to kick over her water and make herself a wallow...and of course the piglets all joined in....hopefully that small bit of garden will grow back again!

The lambs have all been weaned, and the ewes are getting ready to be 'flushed' on some lush grass before we put Barnaby the ram out with them again in October.   He had to have a quick operation in July as his horns were starting to grow round into the side of his face.......there was a lot of blood when the vet sawed them off (having first given him a pain killer) and i sat astride him to keep him still!  They look fine now....and he looks in peak condition.

The ducks seem to have gone off the lay again sadly.....it happened last year - let's hope it's not for so long this time.   Hens are laying a bit, but the bantams also seem to have stopped - i think it's the changing weather....

Our funding Appeal is still going strong - we are nearly there, and hope to start work before the end of September, on the entrance to the new site.

We have been running a very successful weekly dementia session, and will be continuing during the Autumn - anyone with dementia (and their carer) is welcome.  The sessions are similar to those we do with our students - feeding the animals, planting and picking produce, and having a chat over tea and coffee (with cake of course!)

Yet again technology has got the better of me, and the photos i was hoping to upload still appear to be in my phone....and not in my dropbox as i thought - next time !

Saturday 28 April 2018

LAMBING'S OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

I'm afraid the blog has been put aside...with lambing happening it's difficult to keep up with everything else!
We had a very successful lambing - and didn't have to help any of the ewes lamb this year.  We had 7 ewe lambs are an awful lot of ram lambs - 18 in total!  Most of them have gone down to the bank for some lovely spring grass.  We have Alice and Scarlet up at the Care Farm for a few days as we had a new group of students here.  They are from Gloucester College Foundation course, and are doing a six week course - looking at different modules of farming and horticulture.  It's called the 'CAN DO' project, and we hope it will give the students an idea of other avenues to explore when looking for work.
We are busy planting loads of seeds in the poly tunnel and outside - making the most of the nearly constant rain and little bits of sunshine!  We are growing 'plugs' for a local nursery at Miserden, and students planted 7 1/2 dozen Tomato seeds on Wednesday!  When they get to about 3 inches tall, they will go back to the nursery to be sold on to customers.  Next we will be planting courgettes, cucumbers and runner beans.
We have a boar running with Tigger and Sandy - he's been here for three weeks and i think Tigger looks pregnant already (everyone laughs at me when i say that!)
We will be at the BIG HEALTH CHECK DAY in Gloucester again this year on 22 MAY at OXTALLS TENNIS CENTRE, along with lots of other local groups and exhibitors.

Our  expansion Appeal is going from strength to strength - we have raised over £100,000.00 so far.....but we still need more - so if you would like to fund raise for us get in touch!


Tuesday 6 March 2018

SNOW'S GONE.....NEARLY!

Hello again - long time no blog!!  This term is flying by...and has been exhausting with the next lot of snow that arrived last weekend.  We had to resort to taking water up to the pigs on a sledge!!
Sandy and Tigger have moved in together and have settled in very happily.  We are now waiting for a boar (a new one so he's not related to Tigger) and hope to run him with the two of them.  Piglets for summer with any luck.
The ewes look great and are now being fed twice a day and will be coming back to the farm this week.  One stupid ewe managed to get her horn stuck and ripped a whole in her ear.....so much blood!
It's healed up now thankfully.
The wethers (last year's lambs) we sold 7 last month, and have another 9 left.  Two of them will be going off to the butchers shortly so will have some lamb for Easter.
We have a beautiful game bantam determined to sit on her eggs so we have put her in the broody box in the poly tunnel, and they should hatch any day....let's hope it doesn't get too cold again.  We even had ice in the poly tunnel!
We have been making soup and bread with the students whilst it was SO cold....they thoroughly enjoyed it, and loved having something warming for lunch.  Roll on our plans for our expansion - we will then have a whole cookery room to produce / teach students cooking.  We have raised over £70,000.00 so far.
We had a group of 15 volunteers from St James Place to plant hedging 'whips' last month....they planted 90 metres of hedging over on the new site - a fantastic feat!
snow the first time round!
 It's our SPRING QUIZ on 23 March so don't forget to book a team in!
We are having an Open Day that week too on WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH....if you would like to come and see what we do - book in with Gerry.
We have also started a Dementia Project, and would love to hear from carers, people living with dementia.