We are here to work in partnership with schools and organisations working with vulnerable children and young people, utilising farming practices and the natural environment to create a psychologically safe learning environment where relationships of trust are built, exploration can take place and individual growth can take place.
Solidarity Farm CIC is located on Coldside Farm, a 200 acre, organic, livestock farm near Rothbury in Northumberland. The Harrison family have been farming at Coldside for over four generations.
Our Farm overlooks the Simonside Hills, located on a north facing slope or the 'cold side' of the hill - you can understand where the name comes from in the winter! We are on the very edge of Northumberland National Park - which we use for our activities.
We are a traditional mixed working farm, with machinery. The main activities of the farm are rearing our cows and sheep.
The farm is organic, and we do not use fertilisers on the farm but rely on the cycling of nutrients through livestock.
We are one of the few farms in the area that relies on haymaking for our winter forage with the majority of those in the area preferring silage and have a range of hay making equipment that we use to turn the grass into hay.
The hay meadows contain a range of plants and insects, as they are not just a single species of grass but what we call a diverse sward that supports a range of species.
The farm is part of the countryside stewardship scheme, and our management aims to benefit wildlife and people.
Solidarity Farm CIC
Address
Register or sign in to access this Place's details.Contact Details
Register or sign in to access this Place's details.Facilities
- Car parking
- Covered space
- Hand washing facilities
- Toilets
Classroom block and composting toilet
Pricing
Our pricing varies depending on the needs of individuals and the type of provision. We can offer up to 25 free school visits for schools under our countryside stewardship educational access agreement.
What we can offer
- Bushcraft
- Conservation and site maintenance skills
- Cooking
- Forest Schools
- Pre-visit information available
- Provision of materials/equipment/livestock
- Risk assessment
- Set programmes
- Tailored programmes
- Working with livestock (e.g. feeding, milking, egg collecting, daily maintenance, grooming (where appropriate))
- Woodworking
We are in the process of developing a cycling offer in partnership with another organisation. Our close proximity to an Iron Age hillfort at Lordenshaw's means we can incorporate culture and heritage with Simonside hill allowing us also to incorporate physical activity will also giving a great sense of achievement by reaching the summit! We also work with a local CIC offering accredited wood work training in a workshop near Rothbury.
Care Farms / Green Care Services
Related services:
- Alternative provision
- Skills provision
- Care farming or green care services for SEND
- Care farming or green care as part of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
- One to one support
- Holiday provision
Other related services:
We aim to work in partnership with schools and organisations to shape our offer that meets the needs of individuals. We have a self contained classroom block, composting loo (from Sweden!) and an area of woodland that we use for a range of activities. Our intention is to build strong relationships and we can come into schools before and after visits so we can go on a learning journey together.
Care Farm
Are you a teacher and know a child with SEND? They could benefit from accessing a Care Farm.
Care Farms provide supervised, structured educational programmes of farming related activities for young people to support those struggling in school, help those with disability, behavioural challenges and improve mental health and wellbeing.
Find out moreAccreditations
CEVAS Accredited
This place has CEVAS accredited personnel.
CEVAS stands for Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme. A nationally recognised accreditation, the scheme offers training for individuals who are working – or plan to work – with groups of school children, young people or clients with additional needs.
Other Accreditations
In the process of completing level three forest school
