Help us rebuild the Cotgrave Candleby Lane farm

Since 2011, Cotgrave Candleby Lane School has been fortunate enough to have its own school farm. It has been a priceless resource teaching hundreds of children the importance of animal care and enriching their learning experience.

The benefits of a school farm are immeasurable, having a positive impact on many areas including attendance, behaviour, health & well-being, inclusion, self-esteem, and confidence.

Spending time caring for animals and plants helps to develop an understanding of the needs and feelings of those around them, both locally and on a larger scale. It can help to develop a passion for caring for others and caring for the environment: assets which Cotgrave Candleby Lane School encourage in all of their pupils.

The 3 key areas of learning can be nurtured on the farm from Foundation Stage onward.

• Maths skills can be used whilst checking all the animals are there, or measuring out their feed.
• Language and Literacy skills can be used and developed by discussing the animals and their environment, and even transferred into literacy via creative writing.
• Science is implemented by the discussion of the needs of plants and animals to live and grow.

The learning opportunities are endless.

But at 10 years old the farm is no longer looking its best and is in urgent need of a complete makeover to enable it to continue to delight children and adults for years to come.

Our vision is to restore the farm into an interactive outdoor learning zone for the children and restore its use as a community farm for Cotgrave and the surrounding areas.

Studies have shown that interaction with animals has a positive effect on stress and anxiety levels in children and adults.

Time with animals can reduce the production of the stress related hormone cortisol, slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. Direct contact with animals has been proven to trigger the release of a number of endorphins, the benefits of which are too great to list here but include increased happiness, elevated energy levels, improved memory and learning functions, as well as long term reduction in stress levels and increased wellbeing.

There are so many reasons why now more than ever the Candleby Lane 3 Kites Community Farm is an essential resource.

As such, we are reaching out to the community (as well as seeking funds through grants etc) to help us restore and improve the farm which has been loved by so many children over the last 10 years.

We will be fundraising with a goal of £25,000 to go towards materials and labour to bring our vision to life.

Any donations will be gratefully received and will take us one step closer to getting the farm back up and running.

Please also share this page with friends and family, as the more people we can reach the sooner we will be able to get to work!

Thank you

Please note that this initiative has been launched with the full knowledge and permission of Candleby Lane School. I am a parent of Candleby Lane pupils but I am not an employee of the school. 

We also have a Facebook page to support the fundraising - https://www.facebook.com/Cotgrave-Candleby-Lane-School-farm-fundraising-102502718750543/

And offers of help or raffle prizes are warmly welcomed to myself via email (details can be found on the Facebook page) or via this page.

Many thanks - Rebecca