Temple Newsam
Ambassador
Julian Wynne Thorpe
Ambassador pledge
To help young people get more enjoyment, understanding and learning out of their parks and open spaces.
Example child friendly project:
We trained and mentored a new team of EVAs (Education and Event Visitor Assistants) to help me deliver guided farm tours to school children from Leeds and beyond, with funding from Natural England. 1090 children have taken part in these tours, getting a chance to see our rare breeds with our guidance and expertise.
The children are able to handle some of the smaller stock, like chicks, lambs and goat kids, and visiting children help to feed the cows, sheep and pigs. We now include an opportunity for children to groom a Guernsey goat.
What difference has it made?
Children love handling and interacting with the animals! We have had several children who began tours with a deep fear of animals who managed to overcome their fear, eventually touching and stroking the animals- it was difficult to tell who had the biggest smiles on their faces – the children, or their teachers!
The children learned to respect animals, how to read animal “body language,” how to approach animals and birds, and how to “talk Turkey” (gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble!). Children get improved social skills, improved confidence levels, and a real sense of achievement out of their visit.
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