Fittleworth Children Enjoy a Slice of Organic Farm Life at Goodwood
Fittleworth pupils have enjoyed a memorable stay at the Goodwood Estate where they got to grips with making their own food and visiting the farm animals.
The group of seven and eight year olds toured Goodwood’s Home Farm, a modern, organic working farm, to learn about different breeds of dairy and beef cows and organic milk, beef, pork and lamb production as well as the cereal crops that are grown there.
The visit, organised by the Goodwood Educational Trust (GET), included the Year 3 children seeing the cows being milked in the parlour, grinding wheat into flour, drinking fresh farm milk, making their own butter and bread rolls
Goodwood’s head farmer Conor Hayden said: “Our focus is to make the clear connection for children between what we eat and production on the farm. We look at the process of grass to milk, seeing how cows are fed, housed and milked.
“The pupils had the most amazing time, playing, exploring and learning on the farm in a practical, hands-on way. The children had the bonus of bottle-feeding a lamb and seeing a calf being delivered. They were brilliant and very keen to learn with this unique opportunity.”
During their three day stay at Goodwood, the youngsters enjoyed several walks through the 12,000 acre estate going up the Trundle and to Seeley Copse, taking in the racecourse and spent two nights camping in the stables.
Fittleworth’s educational visit co-ordinator Liz Wilmhurst added: “The school has always valued this important resource which is right on our doorstep, so very accessible for our staff and children. It is a perfect first residential visit enabling our children to become accustomed to being away from home, developing their independence in a safe exciting educational environment.”
Established by the 10th Duke of Richmond in 1976 as a charity, the Goodwood Education Trust provides educational visits and workshops for groups of all ages from pre-school to post-graduates to facilitate learning outside the classroom, using the rich variety of sites and businesses found on the Estate.
Alongside the award-winning meat, Goodwood Home Farm also produces 21,000 litres of milk a week, used to make three cheeses (Charlton Cheddar, Molecomb Blue and Levin Down).
If your nursery, school or college would like to come to Goodwood for an educational visit please email the Education Officer Sarah Stewart get@goodwood.com