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Creating positive futures for adults with learning disabilities

Thank you all for your ongoing support, and for now keep safe and well. As we look forward to the end of the Winter, we are also approaching a full year of Covid-19 restrictions. The year of restrictions has both flown by and dragged, I am not sure how that is even possible! I am very aware that these months of restrictions have had a huge impact on our Day Services Customers, staff and the whole Centre. We are pleased that we have been able to continue to support our Day Service Customers both on site and virtually. One of my highlights was the virtual Christmas Disco! We continue to review our Covid-19 secure working environment, and at the beginning of the year we introduced lateral flow testing for all staff. During February Day Services were added to the list of services entitled to access weekly PCR tests, and this will be rolled out to staff and volunteers from the 18th February. The rollout of the vaccine programme is the first step towards a more normal future for us all, and I look forward to a time when our Centre can be fully open for all to enjoy. 2020 was a challenging year for everyone and it seems that 2021, at least for the first half, is going to continue in the same vein. We ended 2020 in a good position, having completed many excellent additions and improvements to the site and look forward to seeing the site reach its full potential as we enter the second half of 2021. A Message from Hannah Hannah Tombs, CEO Life on Dales Farm During Lockdown Lockdown means that Dales Farm cannot open to the general public. But don’t worry, Kirstie and the Farm team have been working hard to ensure all the animals are healthy and happy, ready for when the gates can open to visitors once again. We spoke to Kirstie and asked her what has changed on Dales Farm over the last 11 months, she told us: Diamond, Female Guinea Pig “The animals are missing people. With less people on site we work extra hard to keep them stimulated and entertained. This includes a grooming/manning rota for every animal. This gives each animal one on one human interaction and allows staff to watch for unusual behaviours and give each animal a thorough health check.” “We are very happy that work has started on the pig enclosure. The developments will provide an improved all weather enclosure that will help keep the pigs’ trotters in perfect health during the wet weather months. I would also like to say a massive thank you to those of you who have treated our animals to items from our Amazon wish list. Enrichment items are more important than ever, during this quiet time.” If you would like to send a special gift to one of our animals, our Dales Farm Wish List can be found on Amazon.

Ferring Funders and Friends Day Service During Lockdown Following the success of their annual Ladies Night, Stanford Masonic Lodge donated £500 to our Centre. Stanford Lodge also applied to the Sussex Masonic Charitable Foundation CIO to match the funds raised and we were delighted to receive notification that this had been approved, bringing the fundraising total to a tremendous £1000. We would also like to thank Tendercare, Girls in the Neighbourhood and Vicki Woodard their generous donations. March 2020 brought the first lockdown and we had to temporarily close our doors to our Day Service Customers. Working with our Commissioners, we were able to open a limited service in June. Dan and Jason were some of the first Day Service Customers to return. We spoke to Dan and Jason’s mum, Elaine, to find out what lockdown meant to their family. Jason and Dan, Day Service Customers We offer daily virtual sessions to our Day Service Customers, if you would like more information, email: jackie.tomlin@ferringcountrycentre.org Elaine works for the NHS as part of the Patient Transport Service and as a keyworker she has continued to work throughout the pandemic. When the Centre was closed, her husband had to take time off from work to care for Dan and Jason. Elaine explained “Dan and Jason were very confused at the beginning and felt isolated from their friends. They have been anxious, angry and frustrated”“once they were able to return, they felt a lot happier. They are more settled and back in their normal routine.” “I cannot thank [Ferring Country Centre] enough, it was a relief that they could return.” “They are still missing some of their friends, but they are much better because they come to Ferring [Country Centre].” Ladies Night 2019 hosted by Stanford lodge. This month, we were visited by Danielle Bishop, a representative from Sainsbury's Rustington, who presented us with a £200 gift card. We will be using the donation to purchase refreshments for a Day Service Customer event, once the Centre is fully open. We would like to thank Danielle Bishop for nominating us and all the team at Sainsbury's Rustington for their support. Danielle Bishop (Sainsbury’s), Nicole (Day Service Customer) and Sam Kirk (Ferring Country Centre).

Children Rule in this Castle Hold your Horses Simon is a very talented chainsaw artist and you can see other examples of his work around Dales Farm, including our glorious gorilla, which was also donated by Milton–Lloyd Fragrances. We would like to thank Milton–Lloyd Fragrances for their incredible support and I’m sure you will agree that the Castle makes a fabulous addition to our outdoor play area! During the first lockdown, we were approached by Peter Jackson, of Milton-Lloyd Fragrances who offered us a very generous donation of a Castle adventure play area. Simon from Groves Sculpture had been sponsored by Milton-Lloyd Fragrances to create the prototype Castle, which once created would become the template for future play equipment. To read more about the development of the goat enclosure please visit: www.ferringcountrycentre.org/appeal/goat-appeal Bernie, Riding School Horse With lockdown stopping all close contact riding sessions for the moment, we decided to expand the Riding School to include private or semi-private riding lessons. However, this lockdown has stopped all riding for the moment. We have been using this time to develop the Riding School ready for when we are able to restart sessions once again. We have 5 new horses; King, Lad, Pixie, Bobby and Patsy. Donated Castle in Outdoor Play Area Our team have been working with the horses to keep them in tip top condition by lunging, hacking and schooling them. Our experienced riders take the horses on regular rides to help the horse gain balance, reactions, suppleness and flexibility. This improves the ability of the horse, so that when a less experienced rider is learning, the horse can help the rider develop. We are currently implementing an online booking system for riding sessions. This new system should be available for all riders to access in March. Visit our website for more information on Riding Lessons: www.ferringcountrycentre.org/Pages/Category/riding-lessons We were so delighted with the Castle, that we have asked Simon to work on two turrets for our Goat enclosure, which is being refurbished in March. The turrets will provide shelter, enrichment and climbing opportunities for our 7 goats.