A charity has unveiled an ambition to create an animal interaction therapy centre to help disabled and socially isolated children and rising numbers of those with mental health difficulties or at risk of not attending school.
Newly-registered charity Animals in Reach has lodged a proposal with North Yorkshire Council to change the use of buildings to also offer horticultural and crafts experiences for children at a farm in the Great Wold Valley village of West Lutton.
Documents submitted to the planning authority state the proposal is a response to “soaring referrals for support for mental health needs” following Covid, adding that the “provision is much needed in the valley”.
The papers state sessions at the farm would include grooming, feeding and petting animals, such as alpacas, creating enrichment for animals, such as making hideaways for rabbits or tubes for guinea pigs to improve their environment.
Children suffering conditions such as anxiety would also complete animal health sheets, weigh animals, clean enclosures and take dogs or goats for walks on site to support young people to re-engage with learning and school.
The application states:
“The aim is to build confidence, improve wellbeing and connection with others, supporting young people to re-engage with each other, family, learning and school.
“There are no services for disabled children or children not attending school in the valley and many children stay at home, leading to isolation and increased mental health difficulties.”
The move follows a report by the authority’s public health director earlier this year concluding there had been a “big increase” in worrying among North Yorkshire’s primary school pupils since the pandemic.
The report found children had also become less resilient and that 42 per cent of home-schooled secondary school-aged children cited “stress and anxiety” as their reason to learn at home.
Some 27 per cent of boys and 41 per cent of girls said they “sometimes felt afraid” to go to school because of bullying, according to the report.
The charity said its work would align with the council’s health and wellbeing goals, supporting individuals through personalised programmes, animal care certificates, and decision-making experiences.
Working with other local charities, such as Ryedale Special Families, and with support from volunteers, the project also aims to “empower the community”, the documents state, while addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable groups of people.
The application states:
“We will provide a venue that is safe and calm for some children and young people with special educational needs, who would struggle to visit larger public settings.
“We follow a person-centred model and utilising trauma-informed practices, our work aligns with the Anna Freud Centre’s principles of safety, calmness, connection, control, and hope.”
Alongside sessions with small groups of children Animals in Reach also intends to stage family days where parents can bring their children and look after them with the support of staff to engage with animals.
The document adds:
“Animals in Reach is not going to be open to the public as a petting zoo or have unplanned groups arriving to access the site.”
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