New homes for animals at local Care Farm — thanks to volunteers from South Wales housing developer
Visitors and animals alike will now be able to enjoy brand-new facilities at Amelia Trust Farm in Barry — thanks to a team of volunteers from local housebuilder, Barratt Developments South Wales.
This summer, Barratt team members swapped houses for coops and pens, as they took on the challenge of upgrading donkey paddocks, chicken coops and a petting area for small animals — all completed during voluntary hours.
Amelia Trust Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan has a long and proud history of providing therapeutic support to disadvantaged and vulnerable people in a Care Farm setting — as well as being an educative countryside sanctuary for all to enjoy.
Karen Turnbull, Director at Amelia Trust Farm, said: “As a charity, not only do we want to be a countryside escape for our locals and visitors, but we also want to provide sanctuary for the people that need us most.
“During term-time, we run a programme for young people who are struggling in mainstream education — perhaps because they have suffered abuse or neglect or are statemented with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD or autism.
“Thanks to the generosity of Barratt and other local suppliers, we can continue to support the community during this new school term, within an excellent environment.”
Additional local suppliers that teamed up with Barratt to complete the works include Andrew Meakin, which provided labour, materials and project management; Remix, which supplied concrete for the fences and coop; Polypipe, which supplied rainwater goods for the maintenance work; Randalls, which repaired roadways on the farm, and Jewson, which provided additional materials.
David Kelland, Operations Director for Barratt South Wales, said: “Having recently taken on the role of Operations Director for Barratt in South Wales, I was keen to make volunteering a priority.
“Not only is voluntary work a crucial way to give back to the local communities we build in — it is also important for the wellbeing of our staff, allowing them time away from their desks to make a difference to charities which are important to them.
“Encouraging communities to connect with nature is a big part of our agenda at Barratt Homes — so, volunteering with Amelia Trust Farm, and thereby supporting a countryside sanctuary for people in south-east Wales, felt like a natural choice.”
To find out more about Amelia Trust Farm, please visit: https://ameliatrust.org.uk/.
To find out more about Barratt Homes’ commitment to charitable giving and volunteering within local communities, please visit: https://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/charity.