Smiles Sensory & Family Farm

Just a quick email to say how much Eve and I enjoyed our visit to Smiles this morning. I know *** was a little apprehensive before we arrived - she doesn't like going to new places but as soon as she met Linda and gone onto the site, she smiled and didn't stop smiling all the time we were there. Linda was absolutely wonderful, she told Evie (and me of course) all about each of the animals and it really was so good to be able to feed and interact with them.  

As we turned out of the gate on the way home *** said "when we come here again".....so grandma obviously did something right!

Thanks again and to Linda for giving us both a special morning

“What a wonderful place! I am so glad we came across this lovely  farm. We stayed in an airbnb nearby for Easter and we were lucky enough  to sneak in a last minute private tour. The tour guide- Steve, took  time out of his Easter Sunday to show us around. Not only was Steve  welcoming and friendly, he was so knowledgeable about each animal and  had such a special relationship with each one of them. He told us about  all of their personalities, which we soon saw for ourselves. Dave the  goat is a legend, tot tot the turkey is adorable and pip the big is  hilarious! Please go and support this place if you are in the area.  Thank you to all involved.

“I visited Smiles farm with my 3 year old daughter a few weeks ago  and it was a wonderful afternoon – my daughter still talks about Shadow  and Dora the rabbits! A really calming experience with 0 pressure or  expectations, the lovely volunteer who showed us around was so calm,  patient and just wonderful with my daughter. A lovely opportunity to  connect with nature and animals – perfect for everyone. We hope to come  again!

A quick Google search and we discovered the farm. Drawn in by the  unique opportunities to visit the farm for a personalised tour made me  get in contact for our sons 2nd birthday outing! Booking took place via  email, and was smooth enough. To be honest no idea what to really  expect, just booked as they promote SEN approach. I just wanted to be  able to enjoy the outside and be with the animals for my son. A very wet  February, did not paint the farm in a great perspective when we first  arrived. I was slightly worried about how our experience would go,  especially given such a special day and we had travelled two hours to  get there. I would say the number ‘one’ only toilet does need sorting,  particularly if children are using. Well! Needless to say, we should not  have worried! We donned our boots and wet gear and we spent a wonderful  few hours learning about the farm, the volunteers amazing work and  meeting the animals. We had to keep chuckling at the mud, because it  really was like nothing I have even seen. I am surprised no one lost  footing or boot! Being able to feed the animals and get up close and  personal at their own consent, was such a therapeutic time. I'm not sure  who loved Dave the goat more! I certainly enjoyed the snuggles. Seeing  my son connect with the animals, particularly the guinea pigs and Dave  was magical. The whole family have some lovely memories. A little  birthday gift of the crochet pig was such a kind sentiment too. We ended  our visit with a fantastic pub lunch at the Huntsman , great service  and cosy charming pub. Things to consider before booking : If you love  animals and the outside space, you’ll be in your element – so book right  away. If you want to avoid crowds and have a personalised approach-  book right away. If you want an opportunity to connect with the animals  or nature- book straight away. If you want to support charitable work,  book now! You do need to be in good physical condition to walk the farm  during the winter (it is not accessible to those with prams,  wheelchairs, physical mobility differences etc) If you visit in the  winter, like us we were dressed for the rain, however NO ONE could  anticipate how much water and mud there was! 100% take towels and bags  to chuck your stuff in at the end! It was everywhere  Remember this is a  charitable rescue set up, so expect rustic spaces. Maintaining areas is  expensive, time consuming and winter sucks! Animals come first. If  you’re local consider volunteering, or donating materials to benefit the  animals. Thanks to our wonderful guide for our treasured memories.”

“We had an amazing time at Smile Sensory Farm during half term with  our 3yr old grandson, who’s a little shy, and our 8month old  granddaughter. Steve was a really great “host” showing us all the  animals and telling us about their stories. We fed them and patted them!  The weather wasn’t great, but we wore our wellies and rain jackets, and  enjoyed our morning out enormously. We shall come back in the spring.
I would highly recommend this lovely farm and support all the work that is done there.”

My son has been attending Smiles Sensory and Family Farm since March 2023.

He has autism (PDA profile), adhd, sensory processing disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder and has been in and out of mainstream school due to overwhelm and unmet needs for 2yrs. When he started attending the farm he had just come out of school permanently, his anxiety and sensory dysregulation were high and his OCD tendencies life limiting however animals are his passion so finding Smiles Sensory Farm was a godsend.

From the first moment I met Paris I could tell she was going to be a person that would be able to connect and build a rapport with my son. She is gentle, kind and understanding, child focused and always uses positive language (essential for a child with a demand avoidance profile of autism) and genuinely cares. She has created a wonderful environment from little resources and her commitment to the wellbeing of the animals, visitors, volunteers is awe inspiring. Week on week the improvement and development of the farm can be seen, with a wonderful team of volunteers, donations and agreements from suppliers its heart warming how the farm has grown.

Over the last 7 months, my son’s anxiety and OCD has reduced dramatically. He still struggles to attend many settings and therapeutic interventions, however at the farm his challenges are dampened. This is due to Paris and team building a safe environment for him, emotionally, physically and sensory wise. He attends twice a week for a 2 hr 1:1 session. The sessions are child directed, whilst focusing on the needs of the animals and care that is required to be undertaken. I have seen his confidence growing, his independence returning and his sensory dysregulation lifting. He has developed a strong bond not only with Paris and Cez, but the animals too. The farm is the highlight of his weeks, and he recently requested his birthday celebration to be cake at the farm with family friends. It was perfect. I honestly cannot thank Paris and her team enough.

Smiles sensory and family farm is a gem, with the growing number of children not being able to access mainstream school (and specialist schools being so hard to get – we have finally got a place after 2 years of trying) the farm is a wonderful alterative provision for children who needs to learn in nature.

 “An absolute gem of a find!!! Communication from the very off was  amazing, quick friendly and informative! On the day of our visit, the  farm was easy to find. The gentleman that showed us around (Steve if I  remember correctly) was amazing. So friendly, patient and really knew  his stuff about all of the animals. I can vouch for all age groups as my  toddler and teenager both loved the experience equally. Toot Toot (the  Turkey), Pip (the pig) and Stevie (the goat) joined us on much of our  journey which delighted my 3 year old. Almost all of the animals were  amazingly tame which gave us an opportunity for an up close experience  and gave us all an opportunity to feed them. Price wise this was more  than reasonable for the experience we had! Highly recommend for anybody  struggling with children who can’t cope with main stream holiday  experiences. My 3 year old is non verbal and autistic but the whole  experience was ran at his pace and what he was comfortable with. Thank  you so much Paris and team we will 100% be back. Also want to add which  we didn’t realise before our visit is after your tour around you also  then get an opportunity to go back to animals that you loved seeing for a  second opportunity after your tour.”

“This farm is a hidden gem! I found this farm after I had to pull my  son from mainstream school. He has ASD with a PDA profile and was  completely burnt out. This farm does wonders to replenish the soul, it’s  so calming, welcoming and just what he needed to feel like himself  again. He loved that it was just us and the animals so he didn’t have to  worry about a thing. He especially loved Pip the pig, so much so that  we’ve been back for a second visit already!”

“When your friend asks to pet pigs on her hen weekend what do you do?  Well I’m so glad we found Smiles. They were so accommodating of a group  of 14 ladies, which is definitely not the usual clientele! We had such a  wonderful time. The volunteers had even arranged some hen party  decorations ready for our visit, which was so kind! Everyone loved  spending time with and feeding the animals (especially Pip the pig and  Dave the goat). I know some of the group are planning to book again with  their kids when the weather gets warmer. Thanks again to the whole team  for a fantastic time”