Alpacas & Friends CIC

Jake has downs syndrome and has attended the farm for the last two years, we have seen him grow so much, he helps with Springtime packing eggs, helps deliver them and also has days working at St Johns Market in Scunthorpe selling the eggs. His mum gave us this feedback.
Jake has been attending Alpacas and Friends on a regular basis for about a couple of years now. Since being part of the program, he has grown in independence, confidence and ability. Although Jake enjoys a routine, he has been able to adapt to change as a result of different challenges. He knows what needs to be done and approaches his responsibilities independently and is always proud of his achievements. Jake is also showing different skills, like supporting others when needed. Jake is more confident when speaking to members of the public after attending different events with the animals, which is helping with his anxiety. Thank you so much for the time and effort that goes into developing Jake

Libby suffers with dyspraxia, she is such a lovable person who cares so much for the animals and their welfare, we have seen her confidence around the other users grow massively, her parents have expressed their thanks to us with in this email. Gemma - you have enabled a transformation in our daughter's wellbeing. Libby has been coming to Alpaca and Friends since March 2024 and in the past six months has grown so much thanks for the care, kindness and engagement that is delivered at your wonderful place. She is twice as confident and a lot happier. All of the animals have such characters and Libby has been able to learn from them as well as give and receive love from all the quirky characters. She has learned so much as well, it is the best source of alternative education we could ever have hoped for. She has learned about animal care, how to feed and nurture animals, from newborn to fully grown. She does hands on learning and feels a real part of the Alpaca team and family. You and your husband have gone out of your way to enable her to undertake work experience and participate in community engagement events and she wear her Alpacas and Friends t-shirt with pride. I would recommend to all young people to take part, and especially so if they have any additional needs. They are perfectly catered for and care for with you both, and we can relax knowing that when she is there, she is happy, she is learning, she is doing hands-on practical activity and she is loving it. Alpaca and Friends are a core, integral and irreplaceable part of Libby's education and wellbeing now, and we cannot thank you enough. Kind regards.

From the trial we carried out for our nurturing sessions we were so overwhelmed with the response of parents and the school itself. For me this is the most heartfelt tribute from a parent, who’s daughter has been suffering alone with thoughts of her mums cancer diagnosis. It was helping this child overcome this emotion that made us realise we could help more children; we turned Alpacas and Friends into a charity and began fundraising to allow us into more schools to help children overcome their issues. Written below are her mothers feelings.
Alpacas and Friends visited my daughter’s school for some animal therapy sessions. It gave her a chance to take her mind away from the routine of our life with my new cancer diagnosis as well as giving her the opportunity to speak to people about it outside of the family if she wished to. She came home each time after seeing them bursting with pride, she’s very wary of animals so this has also been a huge confidence boost for her as well as helping her emotionally. Prior to her sessions she was having regular emotional outbursts and was refusing to talk to us about it, but i really believe these sessions helped to calm her mind and I honestly think they helped open communication up with myself and her, she would tell me what they’d talked about and we’d go from there. Can’t thank you enough for how you were with her, she absolutely loved her sessions with you.

Sessions with Counsellor
Three children were chosen for the project. Child A – Child in Need with some behavioural challenges due to ACES (trauma) Child B – Diagnosed with Autism / ADHD and sensory needs Child C – mother diagnosed with cancer All 3 children reported that they loved the sessions with the animals and all talked enthusiastically about it. Child A has been noticeably calmer in the classroom on the days that the intervention takes place, and there has been a positive change in his behaviour on other days also. He has enjoyed having this experience and being able to be with the animals, which he loves. Child B loves animals and would like to work with them when she is older. She has enjoyed looking after the animals and has been very animated when talking about it. Mum has noticed that she is always keen to come to school on a Friday, which has been an issue in the past. Her behaviour at home has not yet improved but I feel with more sessions we could have seen a positive change in this too. Child C was nervous to take part at first, but has really enjoyed the sessions. She has opened up to Gemma about her mum and how life is at the moment and she has seemed a bit happier around school. She was reluctant to share her feelings with staff at first so we were delighted that she shared information about her mum with Gemma.
Nurture sessions
Four children were chosen for the project. Child D – EHCP for behaviour Child E – recent trauma regarding the break up of parents and alcohol issues of parent Child F – Suspected ADHD and behaviour challenges. Child G – anxiety and ADHD Child D enjoyed his lunchtime session with the alpacas. Gemma encouraged him to follow instructions and care for the animals and he loved this. He has shown some improvements in his following of his instructions and has been ale to co regulate much more quickly when reminded of his sessions with the alpacas. Child E opened up considerably to Gemma about his feelings around his family situation. He was always happy when he attended the sessions and it really gave him something to look forward to. He enjoyed telling his mum about the sessions when he did see her on contact visits. Child F was perhaps the biggest success story. He disclosed information to Gemma which she shared with staff, and consequently the school were able to make a referral to Children’s Services and keep him safe from harm. The harm had been going on for some time and he had not shared it with any adults in school so we feel that it was largely down to feeling relaxed with the animals. Child G became more confident as the sessions with Gemma progressed and by the end he was really enjoying it. He grew in confidence with the animals and asked many questions about them.
General Results
In the short time the project was undertaken, we feel that the children involved benefitted from the sessions with the animals. For some, it gave them respite from the classroom environment that they find difficult and they were able to have some time in which they felt special and were able to have some responsibility. For others, they were able to open up in a way that they hadn’t with school staff and this in itself is a great success. Thankyou Gemma, for allowing us to be part of the project and we look forward to possibly working with you again in the future.

Alpacas and Friends visited my daughter’s school for some animal therapy sessions. It gave her a chance to take her mind away from the routine of our life with my new cancer diagnosis as well as giving her the opportunity to speak to people about it outside of the family if she wished to. She came home each time after seeing them bursting with pride, she’s very wary of animals so this has also been a huge confidence boost for her as well as helping her emotionally. Prior to her sessions she was having regular emotional outbursts and was refusing to talk to us about it, but i really believe these sessions helped to calm her mind and I honestly think they helped open communication up with myself and her, she would tell me what they’d talked about and we’d go from there. Can’t thank you enough for how you were with her, she absolutely loved her sessions with you.

Kat was assigned to the farm on her final field study for her Occupational Therapy course run from Lincoln University. We partner with the university giving their students “on the job” experience and giving them a topic of assessment for their studies. Kat instantly saw the benefits of what we are giving and saw firsthand the results we are achieving. Kat still visits the farm and helps out as a volunteer when her course allows her, her tribute to us speaks for itself, Kat wrote this tribute to the farm,
“It's so much more than just interacting with animals. It's establishing routines, discovering meaningful occupations, engaging in social settings, practicing mindfulness, learning healthy coping mechanisms, enhancing or establishing meaningful relationships, learning in ways that are suitable to different learning styles, and SO. MUCH. MORE. Alpacas & Friends can help individuals with a history of or current mental health conditions, learning disabilities or difficulties, homeschooled children, and individuals with challenging behaviours. Activities are tailored to individual needs and preferences, whilst engaging in everyday activities in a variety of different ways. Alpacas and Friends are qualified to participate in the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) award scheme. Through my time on the farm I got to witness how beneficial the scheme has been to particular client groups, and I’m so happy to know they have now gained another tool to install individuals with confidence. They have developed something so beautiful, and it’s been such a joy to spend time with the team on the farm! You have brought out the best in me both professionally and personally - and for that I am forever grateful.

Zoe is on the autism spectrum and first found it hard to communicate with other users and was not one to be interested in a group activity or session. After a lot of one to one with her we have managed to bring out a very confident lady who can now express herself very politely. She has enjoyed being able to be part of our team taking the animals off-site to different locations and has the confidence to be on hand with information of the animals regarding their care, habitat and uses. We received this feedback from her mother,
Zoe really loves her time at Alpacas and Friends CIC. She started off going one day a week and we were looking at somewhere else, that was indoors, for a second day of activities for her. However, when Zoe found out she could have another day with Gemma instead that was all she wanted to do. The fact that she would rather be at Alpacas in the potential cold and rain, rather than somewhere indoors and warm, is a testament of how much Zoe loves it here. Zoe has learnt so much about how to look after animals, and the fresh air and exercise (walking) that she gets while taking care of them is good for her too. Gemma is fantastic with Zoe, finding the right balance of independence and support. Due to Zoe's needs and vulnerability, she has to have someone with her wherever she goes, which means she always has someone looking over her shoulder, but she is safe on the farm, she has her routine and jobs to do and she can have the space to do them on her own or with the rest of the group. The chance to have the independence and space is invaluable for Zoe's self esteem and confidence. She would be absolutely heartbroken if she could no longer attend.

Keri came to us with a problem of lack of motivation, fitness problems and terrible anxiety within a group session or activity and would refuse to mix with others. Keri has downs syndrome and keeping her fit and active has been our priority as she is prone to suffer with weight issues. After a few months we now have a completely different Keri who now has a small network of friends with in our clients to an extent of inviting them to her birthday party, which is apparently a first for her. She now joins in all the activities and is the first to offer to exercise the animals with a walk around our grounds. Her parents had these kind words to say about the farm, Alpacas & Friends is one of Keri’s happy places. She is much happier around animals than large groups of people. She enjoys caring for the animals, helping packing eggs & planting plants. As the group is small she is comfortable & has made wonderful friends. Gemma & Dean provide a safe environment for service users, a happy & fun place to be.

Alpacas and Friends visit our care home regularly for farm visits, birthday parties, Christmas alpaca visits and even Easter visits with the rabbits and guinea pigs. They not only put smiles on our residents faces and lift their spirits but also our staff and visitors. Bottle feeding the lambs in spring is defiantly one of our favourite visits. Everyone of our residents feel involved no matter what their abilities and levels of communication, we look forward to every visit from Gemma and the team.

Alpacas and friends visited the care home my mum resided in and provided farm days. It was an amazing experience. Mum enjoyed bottle feeding the lambs and chatting with Gemma. For mums 100th birthday Gemma, Dean and family made a surprise visit to mums birthday celebration with the alpacas and everyone loved seeing them, it was a lovely surprise and mum had a wonderful time. Gemma, Dean and the alpacas made mums 100th birthday very special, and a day to remember.