Community farm appeals for help with move

An organisation that rescues animals and helps children in the local community has appealed for help moving to its new premises.

Heroes Berkshire and Animal Rangers, a therapeutic learning centre and animal farm in Maidenhead, has been at its Bartletts Lane site for 10 years.

It is asking for financial and practical help from the local community to help move its animals and infrastructure to the new site on Drift Road in August.

Founder Dawn Dingwall said there was a lot of work to do, but she was "quite confident" the local community would help them.

"We've had an awful lot of people come in and say they're willing to help us," she said.

"I'm quite confident that we are going to get help and we're not going to be on our own to do it."

Ms Dingwall started the not-for-profit social enterprise, which helps around 70 children per week who struggle in mainstream education, in 2001.

It is split into two branches - Berkshire Heroes allows children and young people to help out on the farm Monday to Friday during term time, whilst Animal Rangers runs clubs and experiences for children during the holidays and at weekends.

"We've built up this wonderful place for the young people to be around the animals and come and do alternative learning there," said Ms Dingwall.

Among the animals at the farm are pigs, sheep, alpacas, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, Shetland ponies, and reptiles including snakes and geckos.

She said keeping the place going whilst setting up the new site was a challenge.

"It's just basically a field, it's a blank canvas," she said.

"We've got to repair all the old buildings that are on the site... we've got to get the ground suitable for the animals, put up fences, transport the animals... there's so much to do."

She encouraged anyone who wanted to help to get in contact.

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