Farm considering using new land for petting zoo
BBCA Guernsey farm is considering opening a petting zoo on newly-purchased land, bosses say.
Last month, Les Adams Farm, on Route des Adams, announced it had bought seven new fields, bringing its total land to 9.5 acres (3.8 hectares).
Initially bought for "additional grass", owner Isabel Edwards said she now had a vision for the new land, and that it could become "the perfect space" for children to come and get close to animals, and spend time away from screens.
She added she wanted to manage expectations, saying the time-scale for such a development would be "a year or two".
The farm describes itself as a regenerative agriculture project "working with nature to grow healthy and sustainable food to feed ourselves and our family".
It is home to a variety of species, including Jacobs sheep, donkeys, ducks, chickens and geese.
Edwards described the latest purchase as "beautiful and magical", adding: "My idea is to give kids somewhere to come, touch, feel, and get close to animals, and give them more access to nature.
"I just have a vision of mornings with lots of kids running around, being able to touch animals, feed chickens, stroke donkeys, and maybe have little craft areas where they can get back to nature and have a great morning away from screens."
Talking about the original intentions, she said: "We had a really hard time last summer, and our sheep had the most horrible summer with no grass.
"So, initially, we thought of this as additional pasture, but being here everyday walking my dog my head is spinning with ideas, and I think this is something the island could really enjoy."
She added: "I don't want to rip everything out here because it's been left alone for so long.
"At the moment, we're just trimming back the hedges to see what's actually there, and then we're also cutting all the trees that have fallen over decades.
"Our first step is to make the place safe."
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