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ABOUT THE FARM

Dedham Therapy Farm enables people to achieve their goals through meaningful and purposeful activities.

The farm covers 14 acres of countryside and is home to farm animals which are used in a range of therapy programmes. It has dogs, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, donkeys, alpacas, rabbits and guinea pigs. All of which play their part in enabling you to achieve your goals.

Information Pack

MEET THE TEAM

Management

Megan

Amy

Sara

Tom

Director/Business Manager

Designated Safeguarding Lead

megan.dack@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Director/Lead Occupational Therapist

Designated Safeguarding Lead

amy.boyce@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Director/Animal Care & Finance Manager

sara.marshall@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Operations Co-Ordinator

Deputy Safeguarding Lead

tom.clapson@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapists

Penny

Fleur

Occupational Therapist

penny.gibbons@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapist

fleur.parks@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Savanna

Amy

Max

Occupational Therapy Assistant

savanna.edwards@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapy Assistant

amy.series@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapy Assistant

max.clapson@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Gaby

Aby

Ruby

Occupational Therapy Assistant

gaby.jackson@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapy Assistant

abigail.booker@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Occupational Therapy Assistant

ruby.bloom@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk

Animal Care Assistants

Mitchell

Angela

Animal Care Assistant

ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTION

We provide Animal-Assisted Intervention, using a therapeutic approach, to support children and young people to develop their self-esteem, confidence, social skills, and to engage in meaningful activity.

MEET THE ANIMALS

Seamus

Peggy

Ginny

Fern

Tiger

Mabel

Meg & Blue

Minstrel

Peggy

Harriet

Dolly & Deb

The Sheep

The Alpacas

The Chickens

Turbo

Rockstar

Popeye & Gizmo

The girls

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
2026! ❄️
Our first week back is almost complete and what a beautiful way to start the year, with snowy days on the farm. We’re excited for the year ahead!

This term runs from 05.01.26 – 13.02.26 🌿

Looking to join a friendly team? We’re hiring!

See our website for more details on how to apply.

Our 2026 Calendars are here! 📆

Grab yours for just £8.50, with every penny going straight back into supporting Dedham Therapy Farm.

This year’s calendar is extra special — all of the photos were taken by our amazing farm assistants! 📸💛

Your purchase helps us keep the farm running, our animals cared for, and our sessions accessible to those who need them most. 🐐💛

Thank you for supporting us — it truly makes a difference.

Strawberry plants for sale — 2 for £1! 🍓

Available out front of Dedham Therapy Farm. All proceeds help to keep the farm running and support our young people 🌿💚

One of our littlest farmers had a wonderful time at the pumpkin patch! 🎃

We’re so grateful to @farmerjohns_maze_pumpkinpatch for kindly offering to donate their leftover pumpkins to Dedham Therapy Farm again this year.

The pumpkins will be put to great use — from animal enrichment and feeding to fun craft and sensory sessions with our farm assistants. 🐷🧡

Our farm assistants are working hard on their ASDAN Animal Care course — and our goats are loving the extra attention! 💛 Every walk is a chance to build confidence, responsibility, and connection with our animals.

Interested in our ASDAN courses? 🌿 Visit our website for more details or get in touch to find out how you can get involved!

🐐✨ Our friendly goats have been busy over the summer learning to walk on their leads — and they’ve carried on doing an amazing job during sessions too! 🌿💚 Mabel, however, prefers to stay behind and enjoy the snacks before the others get back! 😄💛

🌿🔥 We’re excited to share our new bushcraft area, built over the summer! It’s a fantastic space for enjoying the outdoors, and we can’t wait to see our farm assistants making the most of it over the next term. 🪵

🌞🐑 What a wonderful summer it’s been here at the farm! We’ve loved welcoming everyone to take part in our activities, and it’s been amazing to see the positivity, confidence, and smiles grow week by week. 💚 We hope you’ve enjoyed being here as much as we’ve enjoyed having you! 🌿

A huge thank you to Dedham Vale Tree Surgery for generously providing us with the supplies we need to redo some of our fencing! 🪵 Your support means so much and will help us keep our animals safe and happy. We’re so grateful for your kindness and community spirit! 💚

🐐🦙 Alpaca & Goat Experiences – Just £35 per Group! 🦙🐐

Looking for something unique and heartwarming to do in the beautiful Dedham countryside? Come meet our friendly alpacas and goats!

Bring a group of up to 6 people (including kids and grown-ups) and enjoy a hands-on experience that could include:
🐾 Grooming
🚶‍♂️ Walking
🧠 Enrichment activities
🌾 Feeding time

💛 Even better? Your visit helps support our ongoing work with children and young people. Every booking helps us keep our services running for those who need them most.

📍 Dedham-based
📆 Booking essential – spaces are limited!

DM us to book or find out more!

Join us this summer at Dedham Therapy Farm! 🌿

We’re excited to offer Pilates sessions with our Occupational Therapist, Fleur – designed for teen girls aged 14+ and their mums, carers or guardians 🧘‍♀️

📅 Dates: 31st July, 7th & 14th August
🕙 Time: 10am – 12pm

🗒 Take a look at the poster below for full details, and get in touch to book your space – we’d love to see you there!

#PilatesAtTheFarm #SummerSessions #Mindfulness

Some of you may know we sadly lost our alpaca Diamond recently. Please help us raise money to purchase some friends for Mocha. He is missing his best buddy and we need your help!

Link to our crowdfunding in bio.

As we are a not for profit organisation we need your help to raise enough money to purchase some friends to keep Mocha company after losing his best bud! The alpacas are very much loved members of the therapy team. Farm Assistants attending sessions enjoy taking them for walks, proving enrichment activities and cleaning out their stable and field.

#alpaca #therapyfarm #crowdfunding

What a successful day for our therapy dogs! They have supported students to get on the school bus and to attend their therapy sessions at the farm. Well done to the students and dogs! 🐕🐶🐾

Twiggy didn’t get the memo, it the kids that do the reading at reading dog session 📖 🐶

If your setting would like our team of therapy dogs and OT’s to visit to offer a bespoke programme to support well being, improve attendance and engagement, then get in touch with our office on 01206 322070 or hello@dedhamtherapyfarm.org.uk.

#occupationaltherapy #animalfacilitatedtherapy #therapydogs #wellbeing #essex

Happy National Dog Day to our pawsome dog team 🐾

They have been working so hard this year to support many peoples well-being at the farm and in the community.

If you are interested in some of our Therapy dogs visiting you, please get in contact to discuss how our OT’s and dogs can help.

You can support the great work our dogs do by visiting our website and clicking donate 🐶

#nationaldogday #therapydogs #essex #suffolk #spaniels #bostonterrier #imperialshihtzu #cockapoo #goldendoodle #therapyfarm

With Spring in full swing, we are beginning to transform our garden with the help of our wonderful volunteers, and Luna of course! Our aim is to develop it into a calming, thriving space for people to get in touch with their love for gardening. Any tips from fellow green thumbed people would be amazing!

#gardening #theraputicgardening #luna #therapydog #essex #dedhamvale

Seamus and Twiggy had the best time meeting everyone at the united in diversity event with @the_multischools_council at @braxtedparkestate @braxted_park today.

Thanks to everyone that came to see the dogs and to @the_multischools_council for inviting us.

#therapydog #unitedindiversity #multischoolscouncil #essex #education

Say hello to our newest Therapy Dog, Tessa! She joined her furry colleagues at the farm in March this year. This was Tessa's first day of a 6 week program specifically tailored to the needs of the students at the school. Gino and Seamus are looking very proud of their new recruit!

#therapydogs #essex #suffolk #dogsinschools

Congratulations to our Lead Occupational Therapist Amy and her new husband Eddie!
The team were so happy to be at your special day. We'd like to thank all farm assistants, for their patience over the last two weeks in being so flexible so the team
could all celebrate this special occasion together.
We wish Amy and Eddie a very Happy life together 🎊

We are so pleased to share that our OTs Georgia Wills and Jon Willoughby have now been able to celebrate their graduations together today after a long wait since qualifying. 🎉👩🏻‍🎓👨🏻‍🎓

Georgia and Jon are great assets to the Dedham Therapy Farm team and we are proud to celebrate the occasion with them.

#dedhamtherapyfarm #occupationaltherapy #ot #graduation #uniessex

Rise and shine! ☀️your journey can start right here at #DedhamTherapyFarm. 

Follow @dedhamtherapyfarm for more news and updates

#dedhamtherapyfarm #occupationaltherapy #farm #animalassistedtherapy #mondaymotivation #bluesky #essex #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness

We are excited to announce Dedham Therapy Farm started 2021 under new ownership with a new and fresh look. Amy and Megan have worked as part of the team for many years and are passionate about the service.
#dedhamtherapyfarm

#animalassistedtherapy #occupationaltherapy #dedhamvale #essex #mentalhealth #physicalhealth #wellbeing

Mocha and Diamond have settled in this week. They have been enjoying walks with farm assistants and meeting all the other animals at the farm. 🦙 🦙
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#alpacas #alpacasofinstagram #therapyalpaca #therapyfarm #animalassistedtherapy #occupationaltherapy #dedhamtherapyfarm #essex #suffolk #dedhamvale #farmassist #walking #wellbeing #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #physicalhealth

It’s been an exciting and busy week here at the farm, @thrivenatureadventures_ has completed their first week of forest school on our farm. There has been lots of great feed back and very excited families looking forward to their next session. 🌳🪵🌿🐞🍂
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Contact @thrivenatureadventures_ if you would like to book a session. #forestschool #stayandplay #therapyfarm #dedham #dedhamvale #essex #nature #outdooradventures #ot #farmanimals

Everyone meet Noodle 🐶 it’s his first day as a therapy dog at the farm. He is very excited to meet all our farm assistants.
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#dedhamtherapyfarm #dedhamvale #aonb #frostymorning #goldendoodle #firstday #therapydog #therapydogsofinstagram #animalassistedtherapy #occupationaltherapy

Limited edition Dedham Vale Honey from our bee hives on the farm.

We have had another delivery this week, call into the office to buy some.

£5 per jar.

Our office are open Monday to Friday 9 am till 5 pm. Contact us if you would to reserve a jar.
#dedhamtherapyfarm #occupationaltherapy #animalassistedtherapy #honey #supportlocal #dedhamvalehoney #essex #beehives

Busy day down at the farm, Bumble is showing Georgia our new OT how things are done 🐶 #occupationltherapy #ot #dedhamtherapyfarm #atthefarm #animaltherapy #dedham #dedhamvale #essex #therapydogsofinstagram #dogs

We are so glad to have our farm assistants back, for socially distanced therapy sessions.

But we know many others have faced a tough few months, staying at home, looking after others, and rarely getting a break.

That's why we’re pleased to offer this wellness session, free of charge, and with some refreshments kindly donated by local businesses @tiptreetearooms and @dedhamartandcraftcentre

If you want to come and unwind, get in touch to book a place. Only 12 places available, to maintain safe distancing on the farm.

#nurturedogsincdedhamtherapyfarmCIC #dedhamtherapyfarm
#dedham
#dedhamvale #millroadcarpark #millroaddedham #suffolk #essex #colchester #farmanimals #nurturedogs #dogsofinstagram #daysoutinessex #thingstodoincolchester
#animalassistedtherapy

The twins Hayley and Toby 🐑
#dedhamtherapyfarm #animalassistedtherapy #occupationaltherapy #lambs #twins

Meet our new offspring of 2020.

#dedhamtherapyfarm #animalassistedtherapy #occupationaltherapy #mentalhealth #physicalhealth #badgerfacedsheep #stkildasheep #lambs

Peppa has been enjoying the sunshine from her wallow, this helps keep her nice and cool.
#kunekune #peppa #pig #dedhamtherapyfarm #occupationaltherapy #animalassistedtherapy #sunshine #may #wallow

Thank you for your name suggestions

#lambs #lambsnames #dedhamtherapyfarm

It's lambing season and our first has arrived and we wanted to introduce him!
It's such an exciting time, we're keeping a close eye on the sheep as we have four more pregnant ewes.
We'll keep you posted!

Music: Dear Autumn
Musician: @iksonmusic

#dedhamtherapyfarm #occupationaltherapy #animalassistedtherapy #lambs #lambing #badgerfacedsheep #vince #firstborn2020

Happy World Bee Day!! A few more bee facts for you:

Honey bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

One bee has to fly about 90,000 miles – three times around the globe – to make one pound of honey.

The average bee will make only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

A honey bee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour.

The bees’ buzz is the sound made by their wings which beat 11,400 times per minute.

When a bee finds a good source of nectar it flies back to the hive and shows its friends where the nectar source is by doing a dance which positions the flower in relation to the sun and hive. This is known as the ‘waggle dance.’ Honey’s ability to attract and retain moisture means that it has long been used as a beauty treatment. It was part of Cleopatra’s daily beauty ritual.

Honey is incredibly healthy and includes enzymes, vitamins, minerals. It’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.

#dedhamtherapyfarm #worldbeeday #dedhamvalehoney #beefacts

Mabel had a spring in her step, enjoying the May sunshine and the quiet farm.
If you would like to help Mabel and her friends at this time, please see how below:

1) Purchasing animal food from our Amazon wishlist,
2) Contacting the Mole Country Store in Dedham on 01206 237845 where you can purchase animal feed for us to collect. (Just let us know you have done this)

3) Making a cash donation to our just giving page.
We hope you are all staying safe and well.

#stayhomesavelives #dedhamtherapyfarm #dedham #occupationaltherapy #farm #animalassistedtherapy #pygmygoats #mabel

Raise money for Dedham Therapy Farm at no cost to you by shopping through the Easy Fundraising app or via the wesite https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/nurturedogsincdedhamtherapyfarmcic/?q=Nurture%20dogs&cat=cause-autosuggest

With over 4000 retailers to shop through, fundraising couldn't be easier.
We really appreciate all of your support through these difficult times.

Dedham Therapy Farm

#dedhamtherapyfarm #nurturedogsincdedhamtherapyfarmcic #stayhome #staysafe
#easyfundraising #onlineshoppinguk #donation #fundraising #colchester #dedham #occupationaltherapy #animalassistedtherapy #ebay #amazon.co.uk #johnlewis #waitrose #argos #boden #next #debenhams #marksandspensers #sainsburys #asos #moonpig #justeat #screwfix #gocompare #h&m #tesco

From one Boris to another.

If you want and are able to support the farm, you can help us meet its daily running costs to ensure we stay in operation until we can run income-generating therapy sessions again.

Just visit our Amazon wishlist or Justgiving campaign.

Thanks again to our staff and volunteers who are tending to the animals, while carefully adhering to the strict social distancing measures that are in place.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/help-dedham-therapy-farm?utm_term=yyJz7EYP2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/199S7V7FJH6CS/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ws_t2_1QpDyb8XE88Z0?fbclid=IwAR0Oh_PY31SWifRvXPK4I7ddEbYSU1qyotsNOEN8fZL2rM6Qb89Lx0BNZR4

#nurturedogsincdedhamtherapyfarmcic #dedhamtherapyfarm #nurturedogs #miniturehorse #bo #boris #getwell #borisjohnson #primeminister #justgiving #amazonwishlist #occupationaltherapy #animalassistedtherapy #coronavirus #covid-19 #willquince #dedham #dedhamvale #essex #suffolk #stayhomestaysafe

One tired gang of #therapydog #doggos.

This week, they visited a local primary #school and worked with kids, who learnt how to train the dogs, how to play with them safely and how to teach them tricks.

Quite often our therapy dogs help children with dog phobias, and this gang certainly helped reassure a few of the schoolchildren on this visit.
Nice work Willow, Badger, Bumble and Gino!

Visit Www.dedhamtherapyfarm.org for more info.

#dogsofinstagram #cockerpoo #yorkshireterrier #bordercollie

Come and visit us, any weekend, 11am-3pm.

Feed the therapy animals, and hear more about the work we do during the week with those living with things like learning difficulties and mental health issues. #horsesofinstagram #horses #therapydog #dogsofinstagram #dedhamtherapyfarm #dedham #manningtree #colchester #visitessex #thingstodo

www.dedhamtherapyfarm.org/shop

#christmas #horsesofinstagram #dogsofinstagram

Christmas market in full swing
Find us in Dedham main square until 6pm

Buy our Christmas cards and biscuits.
Or offer a donation in return for cuddling one of our #therapy #rabbits.

#christmas #christmasmarket #dedham

Can’t show to show you all our Christmas cards.
We’re selling them at Dedham Christmas Market today.
Find us in the main square, 3-6pm. We should (hopefully) be able to take card payments as well as cash.
See you there?
Be there or be.... not in Dedham square?

#therapydogs #therapyhorse #therapyanimals #dedham #christmas #christmasmarket #dogsofinstagram #horsesofinstagram

Farm open to the public. Come and see our therapy animals, 11-3pm

Meet our new recruit to the nurture dogs team.
This is Gino.

Gino is 4, and his favourite things include cheese, chasing squirrels and playing tug of war.

Gino's owner Sharon has started volunteering with the therapy dogs, accompanying them on trips to hospitals, schools and care homes.

Lovely birthday party for Harry today ❤️

Our donkey Tiger has been quite vocal recently. Hopefully Dedham villagers have been enjoying these sounds of the countryside 😂
Come and see Tiger and his pals today, in the ☀️. We open at 11am, and just ask for a small donation when you visit.
#donkeysofinstagram #therapyanimals #therapydog #dedham

Chickens having Halloween fun this week... Visit our website to find out more. Link in bio. #chickensofinstagram

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@dedhamtherapyfarm

ABOUT THE FARM

Dedham Therapy Farm enables people to achieve their goals through meaningful and purposeful activities.

MEET THE TEAM

Management

Megan

Amy

Sara

Tom

Occupational Therapists

Penny

Fleur

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Savanna

Amy

Max

Gaby

Aby

Ruby

Animal Care Assistants

Mitchell

Angela

ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTION

MEET THE ANIMALS

Seamus

Peggy

Ginny

Fern

Tiger

Mabel

Meg & Blue

Minstrel

Peggy

Harriet

Dolly & Deb

The Sheep

The Alpacas

The Chickens

Turbo

Rockstar

Popeye & Gizmo

The girls

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Follow us on Instagram

Contact Us

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