Education: Investing in the future

Invest in the future - open up your farm or estate to local schools

If you are a CLA member currently providing school visits or educational talks, or would like to,  we would be interested to hear from you.

Please contact Jessie Cooke at jessie.cooke@cla.org.uk or call 020 7235 0511.

As part of its investment in the future and its support for the Year of Food and Farming, the CLA is encouraging more of its members to get actively involved with Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) and host countryside visits on their land. To help members get started CLA Insurance Services has agreed to extend the public liability section of cover for participating policyholders at no extra cost. The company will also supply a safety checklist to ensure that the event runs successfully. For additional insurance cover to be effective, members should contact CLA Insurance Services in advance of the event taking place. For more information please contact Adrian Lockyer 01234 408601. 

Many CLA members are already hosting successful visits. Click here to see our top tips for hosting your own visit and here to find out what some of our members are up to.

If you haven't hosted a farm visit before Open Farm Sunday organised by Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) could be the perfect way to get started. Held on 1st June 2008 Open Farm Sunday is an opportunity for hundreds of farmers to invite people from all walks of life to visit their farm and learn what the countryside is really about. From nature trails to milking demonstrations you can be sure you will have something to offer. LEAF has all the information, advice and resources to help you arrange your day on their website. Visit http://www.farmsunday.org/farmsunday08/ to find out more and register your event.

FACE is a registered charity that was established in 2001 to help school pupils learn about the real business of farming and maintaining the countryside. Getting schoolchildren out of the classroom and into the countryside to experience rural Britain first hand is one of FACE’s prime objectives and clearly the CLA’s membership includes plenty of excellent potential hosts for school visits.More information can be found at http://www.face-online.org.uk/

For more information on the Year of Food and Farming visit www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk