Ferring Country Centre
Ferring Country Centre: Where every visit makes a difference
At Ferring Country Centre, our 32-acre site offers a blend of visitor attractions and specialised day services. As you explore, you’ll find a garden centre, café, soft play area, and our farm. But it’s not just about the attractions; your visit directly supports our mission as a charity to provide life-changing experiences.
Established in 1986, our day services offer a safe and supportive environment for people with learning disabilities to develop new skills, which includes everything from woodwork and gardening to riding therapy and cooking classes.
Supportive day services that build fulfilling lives
Our mission is to support people with learning disabilities to grow their independence, connect with others, and create a good life.
Whether through group settings or one-on-one support, our day services allow people to develop their skills, build confidence, and make lasting friendships in a safe and supportive environment. Our range of activities runs from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, with both full and half-day sessions available. Everyone is welcomed, included and treated with fairness, creating an environment where those we support can truly be themselves.
Day centre activities for adults with learning disabilities
Dales Farm
Our popular farm includes donkeys, Shetland ponies, goats, sheep, alpacas, rabbits and many more farm favourites.
Under the careful supervision of our specialist staff and support workers, the people we support engage in all aspects of animal care, such as feeding, cleaning out, and grooming.
Stables
Supporting our experienced team, our day service community learns all about equine care by looking after our riding school horses.
This includes feeding, grooming, mucking out, turning out into the fields and bringing into the stables.
Garden Centre
Our garden centre is extremely popular with our visitors, and those who attend our day service activities assist with all aspects of growing the plants we sell, including watering, potting and displaying stock. They also spend time on our allotment, growing seasonal vegetables and tending to our wildflower garden.
Kitchen
In our large, wheelchair-accessible kitchen, members of our activity groups not only get creative with food and develop their cooking skills, but also learn about food groups, nutrition, health, budgeting for food, and hygiene. The delicious cakes they prepare are purchased and enjoyed by visitors to our Rangers Café
Woodwork Workshop
Our wheelchair-accessible workshop is a space where those we support can explore their creativity through woodwork and carpentry projects.
From bird and butterfly houses to bookends and pen holders, they are taught essential skills like tool use, wood preservation, and safety practices, while creating unique pieces.
Learning
In our learning centre we have well-equipped classrooms, that include computers, an interactive board, and a dedicated space at Dales Farm, offering a wide range of educational opportunities.
Our supported community focuses on literacy, numeracy and life-skills.
This is achieved in various ways including classroom-based activities, photography, reading, art, and topical projects such as learning about the environment.
We also value physical and mental wellbeing, offering a range of activities such as dance, yoga, exercise, indoor curling and pétanque.
Community Activities
The people we support are eager to engage with the broader community. We offer a variety of activities, including a beach clean and our Walk & Talk group, where our groups and the public enjoy regular countryside hikes together. We also host evening events, providing opportunities for socialising beyond regular day service hours.