Care home opens discovery centre (From Keighley News)
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Care home opens discovery centre
9:00am Tuesday 14th August 2012 in News By Alistair Shand
o Sanders on a quad bike at the Three Sisters discovery centre
A care home which gives adults with learning disabilities the chance to experience rural life has opened a discovery centre.
Provision at Three Sisters, which is set in 18 acres of Haworth farmland, has proved so successful it has been widened to the community.
The home, which is operated by social care provider Voyage Care and caters for 17 adults, enables people to learn rural skills and animal husbandry.
The new discovery centre includes a classroom, kitchen, IT suite, arts and crafts facilities and a dedicated farm building.
Centre manager and local farmer Paul Barnes said: “Over the years we’ve been encouraging the people we support at Three Sisters to get involved in a wide range of farm-related activities, and we’ve noticed it has had a significant, positive impact on their everyday lives.
“Whether it’s feeding the goats or growing a selection of tasty veg, our centre allows people with learning disabilities to develop a sense of responsibility, achievement and self-worth, which is why we’ve decided to make the facilities available to other care providers and relatives who look after a family member with a learning disability.”
The centre is capable of supporting 20 people at a time.
Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities including dry-stone walling, quad biking, horticulture, cooking and woodwork, and there are opportunities to get involved with looking after the centre’s large collection of farm animals, which includes everything from Highland cattle to goats.
In partnership with Craven College, Skipton, the centre also offers a qualification in “Skills for work and life”. Participants can choose from a selection of different modules, and on completion of their course they receive a City & Guilds award.
Paul added: “Our facilities enable us to tailor activities to each individual’s needs and we can custom-build an activity plan for anyone so that it supports them with learning new skills and making new friends.
“Our aim is to help individuals develop their confidence and become more independent.”
For further information, contact Paul on 07843 265782 or paulbarnes@voyagecare.com.
