Little Hiccups trip to Cannon Hall Farm - Saturday 19th September 2015

Indoor Play Area

Due to popular demand, we re-visited Cannon Hall Farm and how it has grown! It's been about a year since I last went and about two years since Little Hiccups has visited. Since my last visit there is now a fantastic and interactive Soft Play area where the children spent a happy hour exhausting themselves. We spend at least another hour in the outdoor play area as the weather ended up being absolutely gorgeous (to the point where I regretted not packing suncream!). Exhausted but happy we finally managed to persuade the children that as this was a working farm we really ought to go see the animals and managed to drag them away from the slides and climbing frames. Cannon Hall Farm have also been hard at work updating the areas that the animals stayed in also and the walk way past them all was much easier to navigate in the crowds and we were able to see the very cute piglets and my personal favourite - the pygmy goats!

Sheep Racing

I was dragged by my daughter to see the Ferret Racing where my ferret decided to tease me by pretending to win then turning round and going back the way it came just before the end. We also visited the Sheep Racing twice and we managed to win the raffle one time. The sheep it seems, was much better behaved than the ferret!



We had a fabulous day and I know that all the families I bumped into too did. We certainly all came home very tired!

Enjoying the sun

Our tickets included farm admission, sheep racing, indoor play area, ferret racing, milking demonstrations, outdoor play area and tractor & trailer ride and Cannon Hall Farm also very kindly set aside some of the picnic area exclusively for Little Hiccups families as it can get busy in the cafe.

About the Farm:

Cannon Hall Farm opened to the public for the first time in 1989. Since that time we have added adventure playgrounds, gift shop, farm shop, two restaurants and an indoor playground. It is now one of the largest farm attractions in the UK and the winner of many awards.

Our new £1.5 million farmyard opened in July 2013. Seven new farm buildings designed with the visitor in mind. See the day to day workings of a modern farmyard including tractors and farm machinery during the working day.

Other attractions include a milking parlour with regular milking demonstrations and a Rare Breeds barn. This is the first visitor centre of it’s type in the world!

Cannon Hall Farm was winner of the Best Tourism Experience at The White Rose Awards 2011 and highly commended in the Visit England Awards 2012 in the same category. It was also a finalist in The Best Large Attraction Award at The White Rose Awards 2014 and won the The Innovation award for it’s new farmyard at the National Farms For Schools Awards 2015.

Website: http://www.cannonhallfarm.co.uk

Always time for a quick selfie

Start thinking outside of the box!

We all know about the budget cuts in the NHS but do you know about the positive changes in our Leeds area and how they affect you?

Services have had to take a hard look at their budget and get creative, whilst also ensuring they are meeting the criteria of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This means that we can now be part of the consultation process and ensure we have a voice on how services work.

 

What does this mean to us as parents? 

We now have rights, control and choice for what our children need to help them be included and gain some independence.

We can personalise the care package around our children, what works for them and us as a family – because as we all know, every child is different.

Imagine having a blank page, and listing what your child needs for their physical, emotional and spiritual outcomes.

Nobody knows our children like we do, so working in partnership with professionals we can plan how to reach those outcomes and achieve the very best for our children. 

“My child is NOT a statistic, NOT a number, NOT a diagnosis, but a person with different abilities taking on a difficult world.”

What does this mean to me?

After dealing with the system for the last 9 years it has taken me a good while and a lot of deep thinking to get my head around the changes and what it means for Jack and I personally. Everything has turned upside down, instead of being ‘grateful’ for anything we can tap into, now its about “what does Jack need” and thinking about how we can achieve it.

Its radical, its new and its not what we are used to – but it’s a fantastic opportunity to get a better life for our children. We as parents, can be heard now. I’m not saying for one minute that all our battles are over, but this is change in the right direction and personally, when I look at how far society has come in the last 60 years with their views and treatment for disabilities, children included, I cant help but feel positive and encouraged.

As services are being reviewed, as a patient/parent you will be invited to give your thoughts and input to how it can be improved. If you want to help shape better services for your child, then take the opportunity to be heard.

Written by Linsay Medica, Founder of Little Hiccups

Contact us by emailing us on info@littlehiccups.co.uk if you want the opportunity to be heard.