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We don’t normally wade in on Council cuts here at Mini Travellers. We are about holidays and days out with Mini Travellers.  The fun stuff not the politics.  We also appreciate the context decisions are being made in, and know that sometimes uncomfortable and unpopular decisions need to be made.  However the latest decision from Wirral Council to close the local urban farm, is making us put pen to paper and make some points about the Farm that we think need to be made.

CORRECTION – The Council has not take the decision to close the farm, however they are reducing the rangers to the park within which the Farm sits, meaning the Farm will not open on a Saturday.

At the moment the decision is only to close the farm on a Saturday.  BUT the concern is that once that decision has been made to close it, it makes it easier to make more cuts, until it is closed altogether.  So what is the fight about? What are we trying to protect?

The webpage for the Farm is here http://www.tamoshanterfarm.org.uk/

It doesn’t look like much.  It isn’t even very big. If we are honest there isn’t even that many animals.  As adults we might not think it is up to much.

BUT and this is the big BUT, the little people LOVE IT.  Come rain or shine the farm is full of children running round safely in the great outdoors.

Our 3 here at Mini Travellers are now aged 4 and 3 (twins). Since they were tiny we have bundled them up in the pram and taken them to see the animals.  Later when they could just toddle we let them try out the reins, and now they run freely, with us safe in the knowledge they can’t go too far. Maybe we’ve always gone because it is free, maybe because it is small or maybe it is because it is a safe environment. Whatever it is, we have always visited and we have always gone outside with our children.

If it looked like rain or snow then you might not head to a big attraction such as the Zoo as you might not think the money is worth spending. You might not want to head to the park if everything will be too wet. You might decide it is easier to play inside. We here at Mini Travellers are not in anyway saying you shouldn’t do that, but what the farm is for us is an easy option. An option to wrap up in waterproofs and head out to feed the chickens, see the pigs, learn about the birth of piglets, learn to love Arnie, and then understand Donkey Heaven. It’s a place with tractors and a playground. It’s a place with a cafe that serves a mug of tea and oversized cakes. It’s a place where they can learn about being safe around animals and express surprise when ducks are brown not yellow! It’s a place for outdoor fun.

When surveys say half of preschoolers don’t play outside every day then a place where outside play is readily available should not be closed.  Please join us here at Mini Travellers by liking this facebook page that has been created to ‘Keep Tam O’Shanters Farm Open‘. Just click on the link.

If you have found this post through #CountryKids then please ‘like’ the facebook page if you can, we would rather this than a comment this week. Thank you for reading and helping us support the farm. Let’s try and keep this Wirral institution open.