Care farm in Mallow a haven for children with additional needs

When I enter the gates of Mallow Care Farm, the welcoming party begins with the sweetest pair of pygmy goats, Bingo and Bluey, who are both very happy to be cuddled and brushed and fed by the visiting children.

The place was opened two and a half years ago by Tracy Hannan and her husband John, and it’s going from strength to strength.

With a long career of Montessori teaching behind her, and a level 8 qualification in special needs teaching, Tracy saw a huge need for children and young adults with additional needs to be given the opportunity to spend time on a farm setting and away from the restrictions of the classroom.

Tracy, who is originally from Mayfield, did the course at the Castlemartyr facility and knew immediately this was what she wanted to do.

Along with her husband John, a full-time farmer, they set about creating Mallow Care Farm in the North Cork countryside which would enable children to flourish.

It is not a pet farm or an open farm, rather Tracy points out it provides farm-based therapy for children with additional needs.

After my encounter with the pygmy goats, we meet Tom and Jerry ,the two little piggies.

Then around the corner to visit the rescue hens, who peck about happily around the children, and there are also rabbits, or children can accompany a horse for a stroll around the loop.

In the yard, there’s a sand pit and miniature wheelbarrows and flower beds and swings and every other type of hands-on entertainment you can think of.

In the first shed are two more tiny pigmy goats. Tracy says the older children who might like a bit of quiet time like to get into one of the hammocks and relax with a goat, while the smaller children love to brush and take care of them.

There are 30 donkeys from the rescue centre in the adjacent field, who are only delighted with all the attention when the children visit them.

There are art walls dotted around the sheds and some children like to take an easel and go into the field and draw pictures of the donkeys or the two ponies.

Tracy tells me that the children are extremely talented and she is always amazed at what they can create.

“Children are learning while they play,” she says. “They’re learning about the outdoors, learning about the care of animals and therefore learning care and compassion.

“And they’re learning in a natural way when they are naming colours or counting the donkeys or organising feed and ‘running the care farm’.”

The children are mostly neurodiverse, who are inclined to interact with the world around them in a different way. They may have autism, Down syndrome or a learning difficulty, for example.

Some of the children who are pre-verbal might get into one of the pressure swings and listen to music, or look at the communications boards and watch the fish, which has a lovely calming effect.

So, what do parents notice about their children when they go home after a session?

“They’re very calm, relaxed,” says Tracy.

“Some children will be uncomfortable in new settings, but after they have found their peace here with the animals and are happy to manoeuvre between the sheds, they are open to new experiences, and new locations as their confidence grows.”

Some children who are having difficulties in school will call the farm their safe space.

Tracy is happy to sing songs and blow bubbles and just pet the animals until a child feels comfortable enough to decide what they would like to do.

When a new animal arrives to the farm, the children will be very eager to make the new pet welcome.

This flows over into their own lives, Tracy says, as they become more tolerant of others and understand how to be patient.

“If you treat an animal with love and care,” she says, “you learn how to treat people in the same way, be they school friends, adults, or siblings.”

Time flies by when a child is petting and grooming, feeding and playing, drawing, and planting vegetables and flowers in their own polytunnel, and so sometimes having to go home isn’t always appreciated! This explains why most of Tracy’s visitors are repeat customers.

Tracy is also a mindfulness and yoga practitioner and uses these skills with the children for relaxation, and is starting yoga session with teenage girls who are finding life changes difficult.

Plans for the future?

Tracy is hoping to make the care farm wheelchair-friendly so she will be able to offer services to those with mobility issues.

The farm isn’t open to the public and is appointment-based only. It is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays mostly for individual sessions. The one on ones are the most popular, Tracy says, and the session is one and a half hours long.

On Saturdays, there’s a group session which can consist of up to four children.

The one to one is €60 and it’s €40 for the group session.

Check out the Care Farm in Mallow on their Facebook page.