Our Aim: To give adults and children with additional needs, year-round access to a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where they can engage in therapeutic, hands-on, nature, horticultural and animal-based activities.

For those of you that haven’t been to see us yet, Dreamacre Farm is a family run smallholding in the village of Aldbrough between Hull and Hornsea, where we breed Valais Blacknose sheep, Alpacas, Little Pigs, Chickens, Ducks & Turkeys.

We always strive to ensure our premises are secure, safe, licensed and insured and because of this, for the last 3 years, Lorraine has had the opportunity to take her 12 years’ experience of working with children and young people and used it to provide hands-on, supportive, educational Private Farm Tours to individuals, families and small groups.

The wonderful reviews and overwhelming support we have received from each and every visitor, an ever-increasing number of which have had at least one family member with additional needs or a disability, has led us to where we are now - The creation of Dreamacre Care Farm.

As Dreamacre Care Farm we aim to provide year-round supervised, safe, supportive, therapeutic hands-on access to nature, horticultural, and animal-based activities for those with Mental Health Challenges, Learning Disabilities, Autism, Dementia and those unable to access mainstream education.

In order to achieve this, it is vital that we improve our facilities to make them more inclusive for those with additional needs/disabilities, giving access to all areas and animals regardless of the weather conditions. We plan to do this via a new open sided barn and the addition of an Alternative Learning Area (ALA), a warm indoor space that not only provides an area for participants to sit and relax, cook some of their own grown produce, and create through crafting, but also allows more safe indoor space for movement – many autistic children use movement as a method for regulating their nervous system (strimming), a quiet area and dedicated sensory place with a hammock to provide vestibular regulation (swinging) and comfy cushions for relaxing.

This new indoor space would also enable us to better accommodate small groups, especially those with a mix of different needs, who may need more than one indoor area.

We have been working hard over the last 18 months preparing everything we need before we start. This includes training with the Countryside Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS) and producing all the necessary documentation and attending the training required in order to obtain the Green Care Quality Mark.

We thought the biggest challenge would be the planning permission, however our application for Dreamacre Care Farm was approved, quite quickly in October 2025.

We have obtained permission for: a fully insulated, heated, accessible Alternative Learning Area (ALA) and an open sided barn for the animals to ensure continued access during the wet winter months.

(Planning application number 25/00982/PLF which can be viewed at https://newplanningaccess.eastriding.gov.uk/newplanningaccess/ ).

But nothing is ever THAT EASY, is it!

Unfortunately, our planning permission came with a long list of unforeseen conditions involving extensive structural works to the entrance, access lane and the building of a car parking area, including two accessible and one vehicle charging bays.

We have had to complete these before we could proceed with the Care Farm additions.

The structural project costs for the access, lane and parking, along with the grounds work and installation of services to the ALA and the completion of half of the new open sided barn have now been completed. But these costs have exhausted all of our remaining finances.

CAN YOU HELP us get going again?

Even a small donation will help us move forward.

DO YOU WORK FOR A COMPANY OR ORGANISATION THAT WOULD CONSIDER SPONSORING OR SUPPORTING ANY PART OF OUR PROJECT?

We would be more than happy to apply directly to any company or organisation that would consider sponsorship, this could even include choosing a name for the new ALA.

Our project target:

Alternative Learning Area

A 7m x 4m fully insulated, central heated, accessible Alternative Learning Area furnished with a fully fitted kitchen, cosy corner, learning area, decking and access ramps. To include accessible pathways to and from the ALA to the new open sided barn, providing all year round access.

£21,500

Open sided Barn

Completion of the new open sided barn to provide sufficient space for the animals to be housed undercover. This enables clients to have access to the animals, in close proximity to the ALA, throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.

£7,000

Total project costs £28,500

All works will be carried out by reputable, reliable contractors who have priced works to help us reach our targets as quickly as possible. And where possible Neil will continue to take time off work to assist these works, keeping costs to a minimum.

With our heartfelt thanks in advance

Lorraine, Neil, Harry and all the woolly, furry & feathered Dreamacre Team.