Unlocking Opportunities: The National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All Programme
Over the past 18 months, thanks to generous funding from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All programme, we have been able to run a fantastic new programme of holiday activities for families in our community.
From Easter 2024 through to Autumn 2025, we’ve run events for families to connect, explore and have some respite on the farm. Our programme was aimed at providing additional support for families in our local community, especially those facing challenges with additional needs, long-term health conditions, disabilities, and financial hardship.
We’ve hosted 13 activity events over the course of the project, partnering with organisations supporting families across Worcestershire, and providing open sessions for families in the local area.
We’ve welcomed families to take part in everything from planting and harvesting on the farm, to meeting our animals, cooking together, pond dipping, playing sports, and learning rural crafts. It’s been amazing to help children and parents alike to get outdoors and explore the natural world. These days have not only helped children to develop new skills and confidence but also gave parents, particularly those caring for children with additional needs, valuable opportunities for rest, connection, and peer support.
Alongside these activities, the funding has also enabled us to make essential improvements to our site, ensuring it is more accessible and welcoming for larger groups. We resurfaced key areas of the farm and laid new pathways to make it easier for everyone to move around. We’ve also built a brand-new toilet block, providing much-needed extra facilities to cope with growing numbers of visitors. These improvements have made a lasting difference to our site, strengthening our ability to host inclusive events for the whole community.
A huge thanks to Dines Green’s Community Builder, Sight Concern Worcestershire, Worcester Special Mums and University of Worcester Lakeside Campus for partnering with us in providing activities and events for the families they work with.
