I started volunteering with Furry Tales two years ago at a time when I was considering a future career in Animal Assisted Therapy. Ione invited me to a volunteer training evening. The information she provided during the training explained how outreach sessions are run and also provided theoretical background of the human-animal bond. After the training evening I volunteered in outreach sessions, it was fascinating to see how Furry Tales staff & volunteers interacted with individuals of the group and also attended to the needs of the animals. Most importantly everyone was having a great time and a smile could be seen on every face. Project Manager Ione took the time to get to know me and asked about my dreams and visions for a business. She provided me with advice on business set-up and courses to take and was a great source of support in the early days of my dream. With this I have been able to progress and am now very close to launching my own business PAWS. At PAWS, I work with my co-therapist, Frank the Newfoundland dog. We work on a 1:1 basis with clients to help them to achieve therapeutic goals and also provide Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Education (AAE). A huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers at Stepney City Farm for helping me to take the first steps.

Post by Sarah King, Founder of Paws AAT.

This year our Project Manager Ione completed a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, having travelled to the USA, Israel and Palestine to investigate the delivery and impact of animal-assisted interventions and their potential for use in the UK. In April her report was published on the WCMT website and she has since been sharing it with a network of health care and VCS organisations.

The report, Elders’ Care and Animals: Developing a Sustainable Model for Change, is available here and includes;

• An overview of AAI as it currently stands based upon the 32 projects visited – What is it? How does it work? What are the benefits?
• A selection of four case studies that demonstrate the evidence for findings and showcase best practice in the field
• Key findings regarding AAI in residential care; impact and implementation
• Recommendations for the UK
• Further reading and a directory of the projects and contacts visited

If you would be interested in finding out more or receiving a bespoke workshop or presentation, please contact us.

Join us at Stepney City Farm on Monday 13th June, 10:00-15:00 for our first Green Care Peer Learning event, supported by LEEF – London’s Environmental Educators Forum.

The day is aimed at anyone with an interest in green care – perhaps you have knowledge of a particular user group and their needs, you may be an expert in seed sowing, or just keen to see more non-human life in your organisation… Whether you are a provider of care or part of a project delivering animal or nature-based activities, this is an opportunity to meet and share experiences and ideas.

Project Manager of Furry Tales, Ione will be sharing findings from her recent Churchill Fellowship, with case studies of animal-assisted projects she visited in the USA and Israel. This will be followed by two sharing circles, one centred around animal-assisted or nature-based activity ideas and one around collaboration with the NHS. Please come with some thoughts or ideas for these, you do not necessarily need to have direct experience of either but at least a question or insight to offer.

The event is free but booking is essential. Further information can be found on the Green Care Peer Learning flyer.

One of our much loved Furry Tales Club regulars and passionate wordsmith, Hetty Goodman, recently wrote us this beautiful poem about her experience of Stepney City Farm. We are very grateful to Hetty for sharing her words and her time with us.

To the Staff and Volunteers

Thank you Stepney City Farm
for all your help and dedication
Stroking rabbits is my balm
Better than medication

I am wheelchair bound
and love to see
Your wealth
of animation

From ducks to geese
and baby chicks
Donkeys, goats
and guinea pigs

I haven’t seen
what you have grown
The wonderful produce
from seeds you’ve sown

The city children
from local schools
Will learn so much
and man the tools

Let them dig the soil
and plant the seeds
They all will grow
as tall as reeds

The Farm is there
for young and old
Nature’s story
That must be told

I wish you luck
in all you do
May the farm prosper
because of you

We first met Irene through an outreach session we delivered to Age UK a few years ago. She took a huge interest in the animals and told us she’d grown up on a farm in Surrey. When we hosted the Furry Tales Club taster session and focus group we were keen to have her join us. She told us she loved coming to Stepney City Farm, to be closer to animals and to meet other people. She soon became a regular and has attended over ten sessions. Even when it’s been cold and rainy, Irene still comes on her scooter and helps us health-check the rabbits, gives us gardening tips and entertains us with the most incredible stories about her childhood. She brings in photos of her with various animals when she was younger, of her brother and his prize-winning pig, and we display them on our club board next to more recent photos of her.

She’s brought along three different friends over the course of the project and her current friend and helper, Charlie, comes with her on Mondays even when it’s his only day off. He says that he really enjoys spending time with the small animals and being out on the Farm. Irene can tell you the exact gestation period of a pig, she can tell you how to prevent caterpillars from eating your plants and she can regale you with hilarious (if not for the fainthearted) stories of traditional farming techniques. She says her favourite thing about Furry Tales Club is ‘socialising and meeting people, sharing my knowledge of the animals’ and we feel very lucky to have her.