The South of England Rare Breeds
Centre successfully achieves three goals - employment and training for
learning disabled people, a busy tourist attraction and a working farm of
rare and traditional British farm animals.
The Centre has been operating since 1992 when Canterbury
Oast Trust, a Kent charity for disabled people, sought additional income,
work and training opportunities. Today the site has 7 of the Trust’s 15
homes and has placements for 88 people. Disabled people come to live and
work at the Centre for long term post-education training. Jobs are
available with animals on the farm, in the plant nursery, in the Gift Shop
and in the very popular restaurant.
This is an Approved Centre of the Rare Breeds Survival
Trust, a national organisation that safeguards the future of rare farm
breeds. As farming concentrates on fewer and fewer commercial breeds, so
biodiversity will be lost unless concerned organisations and individuals
maintain breeding stocks of them. Many historic farm breeds were developed
to suit local conditions but have now been superseded for commercial
production by high yielding non-native breeds.
At the Centre there are rare and traditional breeds of
cattle, sheep, pigs and goats as well as poultry, donkeys, alpacas and
small mammals such as rabbits, chinchillas and gerbils. The animals are
used for breeding, with surplus stock being sold - some as far away as
Japan. New breeding lines are purchased from other breeders. Members of
the public can buy animals but, where farm stock is concerned, non-farmers
are offered a training workshop before making their purchase.
Visitors will find plenty of amusement other than the
animals, with a children’s playground, tractor rides, kiddie’s meals
and the chance to play with young animals. There is a large countryside
area with established and new woodlands, including an area of woodland
where it is possible to dedicate a tree to commemorate people and
anniversaries. The woods are managed by a team of the Trust’s disabled
staff, using traditional woodland craft skills.
The Centre runs ‘The Falcons’ - a conference centre
which can cater for up to 200 people and is licensed for Civil marriages.
To celebrate the millennium the Rare Breeds Centre will
be holding "A World of Difference" between 24th July
and 6th August 2000 - an exciting multi-sensory festival of
light, colour, taste, and smell.
The Centre carefully integrates its various roles:
giving training and employment to disabled people, caring for the
countryside, offering an enjoyable and informative day out to visitors
from both near and far, as well as playing its part in maintaining rare
farm breeds.
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