Care Provider Treats Goats to New Climbing Frame

Care Provider Diagrama Foundation, which runs Duckyls Farm, a one hundred acre farm surprised the eight goats living at the Farm with a new climbing frame.

The Farm in West Sussex is home to eight goats as well as horses, rabbits, Guinea pigs, chickens and a plethora of wildlife.

The adults who live at, or attend the farm for daily activities, have additional needs including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and acquired brain injury.

At the very core of the Duckyls Farm care ethos is to enhance the quality of life for those they support and to give them the life skills to become valuable members of the community and where possible to live more independently.

The adults are encouraged to participate in activities at the farm which might include looking after the land and the animals, planting seeds, growing vegetables, making bird boxes and repairing fences.

The old goat climbing frame, which the goats absolutely loved needed to be replaced as it was old, rotting and falling apart. One of the considerations with the new design was to replace what the goats loved clambering on, while increasing its size so that the goats could use it as a shelter too. Service users Sarah, Joseph, Paul, Simon, David and James were supported by the Diagrama Foundation team to build a bigger and better new frame.

Jason Stolton, Care Farm and Community Coordinator, Duckyls Farm said,
“Our key priorities at Duckyls Farm are to provide person-centred activities designed to develop strengths and help our Service Users to fulfil their unique potential. Everyone involved in the climbing frame project really enjoyed themselves and worked so well together.”

“When the old frame was removed the goats seemed very confused and all stood together where it used to be. The reaction to the new frame was initially somewhat worrying, as the goats would not go near it, but after an hour or so they all decided that they wanted to go on it. The craftsmen were delighted to see Arthur, Sarah, Bill, Ben, Chewy, Sky, Sunny and Mr G enjoying their new activity frame and we are already discussing adding additional ramps and steps.”