Hadleigh Farm Rare Breed Centre

We’re recruiting! Seeking a skilled and motivated Administrator to join the Business Administration department at the Hadleigh Farm Estate.
You must have a financial or accountancy qualification along with experience of working within a financial setting, your main duties will include monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports, overseeing cash handling processes, taking minutes for meetings, procurement and the preparation and processing of invoices. If you think your experience and skill set match this criteria, why not follow the link to read our full job spec and apply today? Deadline closes 16th September; http://tinyurl.com/y9j7pe8p

A while back, trainees from the Hadleigh Training Centre were invited to attend the Be Active Health Day hosted by Sport for Confidence in Hadleigh Park. Celebrating the opportunities Hadleigh Park offer to people with a range of mental and physical health abilities, the event offered participants the chance to take part in sports activities including boccia, archery and cycling. Our trainees loved trying out new and exciting sports and throughout the day, medical profession...als were on hand to answer our questions and provide trainees with advice on healthy eating as well as how to maintain mental and physical well-being through regular exercise allowing them to manage their own health and care needs as much as possible. Trainees also had the opportunity to make new friends during the activities as they were encouraged to compete against groups outside of the Hadleigh Training Centre. If you would like to learn more about how you can work in partnership with the Hadleigh Training Centre to work with trainees and explore how to enable them to participate as active and equal members of society, why not drop us an email at htcadmin@salvationarmy.org.uk
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We’re still accepting applications for a skilled and motivated Administrator to join the Business Administration department at the Hadleigh Farm Estate.
You must have a financial or accountancy qualification along with experience of working within a financial setting, your main duties will include monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports, overseeing cash handling processes, taking minutes for meetings, procurement and the preparation and processing of invoices. If you think your experience and skill set match this criteria, why not follow the link to read our full job spec and apply today? Deadline closes 16th September; http://tinyurl.com/y9j7pe8p

Meet Thunder and Hunter the Alpacas, our latest addition to the Rare Breed Centre family! Here they are being introduced to their new home with our Rare Breed Centre Manager Emma and their owner on their first day at Hadleigh Farm. Did you know Alpacas love to sunbathe; they will lie down on their sides and stretch their legs out to soak up the sun. If you weren’t an Alpaca expert, you could be mistaken for thinking they were slightly worse for wear. If you spot Thunder or Hunter catching a few rays, don’t worry too much. They’re just having an afternoon snooze! We’re open every day from 10am-5pm, why not pop down for a visit and meet our new arrivals? #MondayMotivation

Come along to the Rare Breeds Centre today to meet the team from the Southend Dormouse Group to learn about Dormice and their conservation. Please note there will be no Dormice due to wildlife protection laws.

Did you know, we’re recruiting! Seeking a skilled and motivated Administrator to join the Business Administration department at the Hadleigh Farm Estate.
You must have a financial or accountancy qualification along with experience of working within a financial setting, your main duties will include monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports, overseeing cash handling processes, taking minutes for meetings, procurement and the preparation and processing of invoices. If you think your experience and skill set match this criteria, why not follow the link to read our full job spec and apply today? Deadline closes 16th September; http://tinyurl.com/y9j7pe8p

Did you know that pigs are very sociable creatures, they prefer to sleep nose to nose and even dream! Poultry birds on the other hand are thought to have descended from dinosaurs! From Saturday 25th – Friday 31st August we’re celebrating Pig and Poultry Week. Come along and join us at the Rare Breeds Centre where we’ll be running craft activities and talks throughout the week to learn about these complex creatures, all completely free and included in your entry fee! See our kiosk display board for times or call us on 01702 558550 for more information.

We’re recruiting! Seeking a skilled and motivated Administrator to join the Business Administration department at the Hadleigh Farm Estate. Assisting in all areas of HR, finance, marketing, volunteering and general administration, the successful candidate will be responsible for a wide range of financial administrative functions across the Estate.
You must have a financial or accountancy qualification along with experience of working within a financial setting, your main dut...ies will include monitoring budgets, preparing financial reports, overseeing cash handling processes, taking minutes for meetings, procurement and the preparation and processing of invoices. If you think your experience and skill set match this criteria, why not follow the link to read our full job spec and apply today? Deadline closes 16th September; tinyurl.com/y9j7pe8p
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At Hadleigh Training Centre, we actively seek opportunities for our trainees to engage and contribute to the local community. We are currently working in partnership with Hadleigh Community Group who have installed hanging baskets along Hadleigh High Street. Each week through to September, trainees from the Build and Grow department will water the hanging baskets, facilitated by a number of local businesses who kindly donate free water to fill up our watering tank.
This opportunity allows us to evidence the abilities and develop the skills of our trainees whilst positively contributing to the community. We thoroughly enjoy watering the hanging baskets and making a positive impact on the appearance of our town. Have you spotted our trainees watering the hanging baskets along Hadleigh High Street?

A few weeks ago, we welcomed seven new piglets to the team at the Hadleigh Farm Estate. Their hobbies include sleeping, eating and snuggling up to Mum Ellie. She’s been taking good care of our new arrivals and they’re settling in nicely. They’re terrible at taking the minutes and answering the phones but are very cute, so we’ll let them off. We’re open every day from 10am-5pm, why not pop down for a visit to the Rare Breeds Centre and meet our new additions? #MondayMotivation

🐝🐝🐝 The Essex Beekeepers Association will be at the Rare Breeds Centre until 4.30pm today. Learn all about Bees from the experts with talks throughout the day and a candle rolling activity for just a small fee! If you’re curious about Beekeeping now’s your chance to find out all the answers you’ve been itching to know. The Rare Breeds Centre is open until 5pm, see you there! 🐝🐝🐝

Did you know honey bees communicate through dancing with one another? Butterflies on the other hand have taste receptors on their feet! From Saturday 18th – Friday 24th August we’re celebrating Bee and Butterfly Week! Come along and join us at the Rare Breeds Centre where we’ll be running craft activities and talks throughout the week to learn about these amazing insects, all completely free and included in your entry fee! See our kiosk display board for times or call us on 01702 558550 for more information.

It’s #NationalAllotmentsWeek and we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate this years’ theme #LivingandGrowing and the importance of growing our own food. At Hadleigh Training Centre, trainees in the Build and Grow department plant, grow and harvest fruit and vegetables that are used in our training kitchen environments by trainees from our Fresh Opportunities department. Often these recipes make their way into the Hadleigh Tea Rooms and are served throughout the day.
Maximi...sing their vocational skills in areas such as cooking and catering whilst developing transferable life skills, through personalised training programmes trainees increase their awareness of how food is produced and makes its way onto our plates whilst developing important skills crucial to their personal development and well-being. Why not visit the Hadleigh Tea Rooms this week where you can sample some of our wares or even purchase seasonal fruit and vegetables grown by our trainees! #ShopLocal #SupportSmall
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Come along and join us at the Rare Breeds Centre for Rural Crafts until Friday 17th August! Explore the origins of dough craft every day from 11am and make your own salt dough creation to take home with you. This activity is FREE of charge however donations are welcome!

At Hadleigh Training Centre, we explore a range of opportunities to enhance programme and skills delivery. Often, our trainees find it is a positive and encouraging experience to visit active and engaging working environments outside of the Training Centre. Recently, our Amenities trainees visited DP World and were given a tour of the site including the docks where they saw cranes in operation loading and unloading containers from ships. These experiences demonstrate to train...ees how skills taught at Hadleigh Training Centre are applied in real working environments, enabling them to experience activities that match their interests, skills and abilities to provide future opportunities. For some of our trainees, this will mean returning to the Training Centre with new ideas about how they would like us to tailor their Personalised Pathway to teach them skills they want to learn and goals they would like to achieve. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the training opportunities we offer at the Hadleigh Training Centre, why not get in touch by calling us on 01702 426260.
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*SENSORY ROOMS CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT* Please note, due to extreme hot weather conditions, for the comfort and safety of our service users we regret to inform that the Sensory Rooms at the Hub in Hadleigh Park will be closed all day today. We plan to reopen this facility to the public as usual tomorrow and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to your visit. Please call 01702 567674 for more information.

Head down to the Rare Breeds Centre tomorrow and get up close and personal with creepy crawlies and reptiles. Local animal handling company ZooLab will be paying us a visit and bringing along various creatures for you and your little ones to learn about and handle, 10.30am - 11.30am and free of charge included with your entry fee however donations are welcome. Are you brave enough?

Come along and join us at the Rare Breeds Centre for Rural Crafts; this week we will be exploring the art of Willow weaving! There will be a craft activity everyday at 11am where you will be able to create something to take home with you. This activity is free of charge included with your entry fee although donations are always welcome. Let's get crafting.

The deadline for the Administrative Assistant role at The Salvation Army Hadleigh Farm Estate is fast approaching and there are only a few days left to submit your application! Join the Business Administration Team and assist in all areas of finance, HR, marketing, volunteering and general administration. This part time role could be perfect for you, why not follow the link to find out more and apply today! tinyurl.com/ybyncvfm

What a lovely family day out! We were lucky enough to stumble upon the open day (hadn't seen it advertised) so free parking & free entry! Was given loads of info about what was going on once we arrived, including cake decorating, kayak taster sessions (although bad weather meant that was cancelled), arts & crafts etc. Had a great time feeding the animals, the chickens were hilarious! Had a long chat with the manager in the barn & met Mr Pickles the Guinea pig � Went on a tractor trailer to Sawyers farm and back again, enjoyed lunch in the cafe, the staff were very accommodating and moved tables around to seat us all. All in all a fantastic day, lovely friendly people & a great charity to boot (we all made donations & bought plants to pay for our day) �� There's also a lovely outdoor play area & maze for the littl'uns. Highly recommended!

Went for the first time this weekend and loved it! Just the right size to keep the attention of an under 3 year old. We enjoyed feeding the different sheep and goats there and my little girl loved playing in the play area. Even though it was busy, it didn't feel it and the smells coming out of the tea room were gorgeous and it tasted as good as it smelt. Will be returning soon

We had a fantastic family day here today, the children ( aged 6&8) loved seeing and feeding the animals, three bags of animal feed for £1 and a good size play area. The whole day including a trip to the on site tea room's was extremely good value for money and highly recommend visiting. We will definitely back in 2018.

Visiting from Spain..spent a lovely time with great grandchildren who enjoyed the Moo music pirates day and just about enough animals to feed and pet. 6 of us also ate in the cafe...good value nice food. Thank you.

This is a good place to kill a couple of hours with kids below secondary school age. There are lots of rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep and goats. You can buy feed for the sheep and goats (3 bags for a quid). There's also a small maze and small playground (playground aimed at age 7 and below). You can also walk to nearby Hadleigh Castle ruins which is free. The car park is £1 per hour or a fiver for all day. If you pay the fiver you get 3 pounds off of your overall entrance cost. To give an example I paid 5 pounds to park and was charged a further £7 to enter for one adult and two children. The tea rooms next door are very nice for cream tea or sandwiches. All proceeds to the Salvation Army to keep the place running.

Lovely place and friendly staff. Grandkiddies love it here.x

I grew up near hadleigh and so to be able to bring my little girl to a place like this in my little home town is brilliant. So much for her to do and see! The tickets and feed are really reasonable to so if anyone is thinking of taking their child, go!

Fabulous little place been lots of times perfect for little ones and service with a smile in the cafe so many helpful people x x always clean and the animals are healthy xx definitely will continue to go xxx

Brilliant little place. The cafe is a delight and such a good idea for our local community. Can't fault the whole package in any way. Well worth a visit.

A fantastic place to take the kids out for the day. Lovely animals which you can feed and a play area and picnic area. Been going here for years with my Grandchildren. Sadly they won't be far off growing out of it, but for this Summer, still a few fun days to be had.



I love the ethos of this place....who needs gadgets and hand held devices when you have a great place like this at your doorstep? Open air fun for the kids is brilliant....especially the maze!

My 19 month old and 20 month old pal really enjoyed the farm. Animals were great and a lot to do. Great for two mums with their boys

HOWEVER advertised on Facebook was gardening week for this week which is why we visited when we did. When we go there the information was limited and when we asked for info staff advised the activity was willow wreaths at 11. It was already 1120 at the time and the activity didn't start until 11:45. Wasn't appropriate for younger ones. Disappointing



If not for this I would have given 5*

It was Mothers Day so quite busy in the tea room. We just had to sit outside but they had run out of various food items which could be avoided. Sandwiches we had were fine. Unfortunately the Avian Flu restrictions meant no birds were outside but nothing the centre could do. Will go back later once restrictions are lifted.

The Rare Breeds Farm itself is lovely, especially when the sun is shining, like it was today when we came down to do the Easter Egg hunt. However, the lady serving behind the till in the Tea Rooms needs a crash course in customer service as she was unnecessarily rude and abrupt, and it has put me off visiting there again. Having said that, the food was reasonable and the waiting staff were very pleasant. Its not the first time it's happened either!

Reasonable entry price. Not hardly any animals here any more which is disappointing. Find it cheeky you have to also pay for car parking as well as entry.hone downhill in my opinion.

Help please. Was at the Farm today, my Samsung S6 phone dropped out or was taken from my pocket around midday, near the sandpit. Nothing handed in to staff, but someone has picked it up as it has been turning it on & off - possibly even a child playing there picked it up. If you or your child has the phone, or you have any information, please, please DM me - I'm heartbroken as there are irreplaceable baby photos & videos on the phone. Thank you.

Had a family outing there yesterday for mothers day spoilt by the attitude of the lady behind the till in the tea room ! Rude is an understatement ! She definately needs some people skills also the information on the outside notice board are out of date so v misleading

Good value for money and great for kids as the farm is small and safe for them to roam free.. My only gripes are the new charge for parking and the shop is shut before the farm is closed so I was unable to buy my kids souvenirs before we left. Other than this it is a nice place to visit with kids for a few hours.

Disappointed yesterday when we took our granddaughter. Hardly any animals to see this time. Play area ok but all beginning to look a bit tired. Bit cheeky charging for car park and entrance fee, not enough there to keep you occupied all day so can't get the discount on the car park charges.

Appalling service from the manager in the cafe who was very rude. I'd already been in the farm which was lovely, albeit not masses to do but a nice morning out, wonderful staff who were happy to tell you all about the animals. I went to get some brunch with my baby who had fallen asleep, chose my table tucked away to the side so I wasn't in the way, there were only 2 other people in there as it was 11.30am, ordered my food and sat down to wait. It was at this point I was told I had to remove my sleeping baby from the pram and leave it outside. If they have a no pram policy this should be explained when entering, not rudely once you've paid! I refused and by the time my food came my baby had woken and i was feeding her, so the manager said she would have to wheel my pram outside and proceeded to. I told her no as my bag was on there plus 2 other ladies had since entered and they had their prams so why couldn't i? I asked for a refund and left as I was not prepared to leave my pram outside unattended! This has put me off ever going back and I've since brought a season ticket to marsh farm instead! Real shame as it's nice to speak to the caring farm staff and support the work the Salvation Army do, but this woman has spoilt it for me!