Lancaster Park & Animal Farm — Attraction in Oldham

The best way for me to share my views on Hounslows Urban farm is by sharing the thank you email I went out of my way to send to them after my visit. Key point id like to highlight is I have NEVER, in all my years of trips with students, have I ever taken time out to share my gratitude to an organisation or place... this is also my first post on trip advisor! Please see below...

I felt the need to use this contact information as an opportunity to thank all the staff that I interacted with today at Urban farm.

Today was my first visit; I arrived at the farm this morning with my student - a 14 year old girl with severe special needs and learning difficulties. This particular student suffers with extreme social anxiety and this is often associated with highly challenging behaviours. We solely ended up at the Urban farm as the special needs farm in Heathrow had messed up our booking for the students first experience of occupational work with animals. At our arrival, it’s safe to say I was nervous as my student was fully prepared for a meet and greet/ induction for engaging as a member of staff. The two women at the entrance were fantastic! With a brief heads up as to what had happened and what the child was expecting, they were both so quick to almost jump in to role and accommodate/ fulfill the child’s expectations! The way they communicated with (non-verbal child) and treated my student was exceptional.

After providing a name tag and suggesting where to start the “feeding duty” - providing bag of food - my student was more than motivated to enter the farm.

Throughout the day, this level of compassion, understanding, respect and positivity become more and more evident in everyone my student interacted with.

The young woman who carried out the 12.30 encounter - purple bits in her hair - took her time to engage with the child, had patience when communicating with her and ensured she was given further opportunities to interact with the animals she liked.

The man on the train like ride - he laughed with her, offered more turns and acknowledged her every time she passed (something she doesn’t often experience).

The couple in the burger van - they complimented her form of communication on a number of occasions and this 100% boosted her self-confidence.

The young woman with the blonde hair, she showed an awareness of her physical needs and didn’t hesitate to engage in the physical contact (a hug) that my student tends to very abruptly initiate - something which often triggers distress as people jump or move away.

I could go on and on - everyone there today was AMAZING and I hope they are aware of the extent their approaches and work ethics impacts a child like my student. With all said, I was just as amazed by the level of interaction, the immaculate upkeep and opporunities this farm provides - absolutely superb place to visit! She, WE, had the most calming, therapeutic and fun day together today that we have ever had in the two years working together.

We will be returning...

Seriously disappointed with this farm. Wouldn’t even call it a farm, more like a large field filled with different animals with fences around them. We saw so many things wrong with this place and it all started with the price and what you get for it. It costs more for children to go in than Adults, how does this work? There was also a water gun station where you can shoot a pirate with a water gun? How is this relevant to a farm with animals for children to see? Just another scam for money. There was also a trailer that was in plain view with people living in that was on the site that everybody could see? Saw the residents just sat eating their lunch watching the people walk around which was a bit weird and creepy. The land itself looks like a building site! Wire fences with brick and rubble in random places and tractors on top of piles of rubbish! Looked more like a landfill with animals put inside. No staff at all walking around? There were 2 members of staff on the whole ‘farm’ one taking money on the gate to enter and another guy taking money for the ‘caterpillar ride’ which was nothing at all like a caterpillar, it was a guy riding around on a quad bike with barrels that had wheels on attached to the quad bike, rip off for money and looked RIDICULOUSLY dangerous!! The state of the animals was disgusting. Sheep, horses, donkeys and geese sharing one patch of land that wasn’t even filled with proper eating grass for them, just full of weeds and nettles, surely not safe for any of the animals? One of the donkeys was seriously unwell! It was pure skin and bones! Could tell it was starving because it always came running over to people in search for the feeding buckets that you can pay £1 for at the start. Was so upsetting to see these animals in such a state. And to also be privileged to have 2 beautiful black swans surely you would think that they would have a better home that a mouldy moss filled ‘lake’ that was clearly just a hole that was dug in the ground and filled with water themselves. Made their beautiful feathers look dirty and depressed. Playgrounds looked unsafe and not stable at all, there were no staff around to manage the playgrounds incase of an accident or an emergency considering they were miles away from the start where you pay to get in. You would have to run back down the path and back into the land site just to get someone’s attention. All of the animal pens were over crowded and too small, clearly don’t get fed properly if there is 2 members of staff and they follow people round to get more food out of the feeding buckets. Completely disappointing and depressing place, would not recommend at all or you will leave feeling heartbroken that you can’t help the poor animals. Owners should be ashamed of them selves. Absolutely...

Our trip to the farm today was nothing short of amazing! This is undoubtedly one of the best farms we have ever visited. Even on a rainy day like today, we had an incredible time. We came prepared with wellies and raincoats, and the muddy puddles only added to the fun for our kids, especially since we are big fans of Peppa Pig!

The staff at the farm were exceptionally friendly and welcoming.Especially the gentleman at the kiosk who went above and beyond to ensure a pleasant experience.The size of the farm is impressive, offering never-ending fun activities for children. There were so many different animals to visit, and I was truly amazed by how happy they seemed to interact with my two toddlers. This clearly indicates that the farm takes great care of their animals’ well-being, which is unfortunately not always the case in other places. The cleanliness and upkeep of both the farm and its animals were remarkable. It’s evident that a lot of effort goes into maintaining such a tidy environment. Honestly, it’s such a fun place to visit with kids! Despite getting soaked from the rain, we left with smiles from ear to ear, cherishing the wonderful memories we created together. We can’t wait to return on a sunny day to explore even more of what this fantastic farm has to offer. This farm stands as an exceptional example of what a happy place for kids should be when visiting animals. Overall, I highly recommend this farm for families looking for an enjoyable outing filled with laughter and learning!

I apologize for the lengthy read, I rarely take the time to leave reviews. However, establishments like this truly deserve recognition for their outstanding service...