Fun barn set to open doors in Norfolk
Children will be delighted to learn that fun will soon come by the barn-load, thanks to funding from Defra, delivered by the Rural Development Service (RDS).
Aylsham Fun Barns, near Aylsham, Norfolk, is due to swing open its doors in June.
Alan and Amanda Davis of Spa Lane, Aylsham, have used a £67,340 grant from the RDS to part-fund the conversion of redundant cattle barns into an all-weather children's play centre. Among the attractions on the five-acre site are a cafe, animal petting centre, large animal paddocks, outdoor nature trails, and pony and cart rides.
Former deputy head teacher Alan said:
"We have converted three barns into an indoor children's play area with cafe. Here, children can dig in the sand pit, play on ride-on toys, pet the rabbits and guinea pigs under careful supervision and whizz down an inflatable slide.
"As we have done most of the work ourselves, the RDS very sensibly insisted we had expert advisers on hand before we started. Now we are in the process of recruiting staff to look after the animals, run the cafe and supervise the children. This will provide the equivalent of six full-time jobs.
"A neighbouring farmer has allowed us to use his land for orienteering and educational walks. The Fun Barn is a gentle introduction to the countryside for people who are sometimes anxious about visiting because feel they might be trespassing or damaging crops."
The Davis' support for the 'slow food' campaign means they intend to source the majority of their produce from farms within a 20-mile radius.
Alan Davis said:
"We are very interested in food and try to eat well as members of the local committee of the Slow Food Convivium. We will offer soups, jacket potatoes and locally-sourced venison burgers as well as snacks and cream teas. We hope to encourage children and their parents to try new, healthy foods and hopefully, publicise local producers at the same time."
Katherine Trehane, an adviser for the Rural Development Service in the East of England, said:
"The Davis family aims to provide an educational slant to activities which focus on the countryside and the stewardship role of farming. The project will help to address a lack of facilities for families with young children in the Aylsham area and will generate flexible jobs with training for local people. The Davis family also plan to use local food suppliers wherever possible. The fact that the Fun Barns aim to provide so many benefits for the local economy and community was a key factor in the Rural Development Service's decision to award Defra Rural Enterprise Scheme funding."
Alan Davis added:
"None of this would have been possible without the funding from Defra. The funding means it has been completed to the high standards expected by today's visitors."
The Rural Enterprise Scheme, Processing and Marketing Grants and the Vocational Training Scheme are closing to new applications on 30 June 2006. Knowledge of this has generated a great deal of interest and subsequently a significant increase in applications.
The schemes have been very popular and successful across the country. The announcement of the closure of these schemes has led to a large increase in the number of applications, all of which are seeking funding from a limited budget. The Rural Development Service has been advising that, as the Schemes comes to a close, a substantial amount of funding is now fully committed and competition for the remaining funds is very, very strong.
The schemes have always been competitive. The large number of applications and the coming closure of these schemes inevitably mean some projects cannot be funded.
The Rural Development Service is working to make the best use of funds under these schemes of the England Rural Development Programme
- to ensure that as much of the money allocated to this programme is spent. The Rural Development Service is continuing to review the funding situation across these schemes and will let applicants know if there are any changes as soon as they can.
The 30 June deadline does not apply to Objective 1 and LEADER+ funding; neither does it apply to Environmental Stewardship (Entry Level and Higher Level Schemes); nor does it relate to the Energy Crops Scheme Establishment Grants, the Hill Farm Allowance, or the English Woodland Grant Scheme.
