Wigfield Farm

LATEST NEWS

We will be CLOSED after Thursday 19th December for the Christmas holidays and will not reopen until Monday 6th January 2025. We want to thank you all for visiting us in 2024 and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

Purpose
This policy highlights key instructions that visitors must implement and be aware of to maintain their own safety when visiting Wigfield Farm

Staying Safe
Please be aware that any contact with any animal can present significant health risks, especially for children under 5 as they are more vulnerable to infections. For your protection you should read and implement the instructions below.

Adult Supervision
Children must be supervised at all times on the farm. Children under the age of 16 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Hand Washing
It’s essential to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after contact with any animals and especially BEFORE eating, drinking or any hand-to-face contact. Hand washing facilities can be found at designated hand washing stations around the farm, please ensure your whole group use them. Hand washing instruction boards are placed at each hand washing station.

Play Areas
Parents/adults are required to supervise their own children at all times. Read and follow the safety rules in each play area and make sure your child/children adhere to the rules. Ensure your child/children only play on the age appropriate equipment as indicated in each play area.

Eating and Drinking
Please ensure that hands are washed BEFORE eating and drinking. Only eat and drink in designated areas.

Pregnant Women
In order to protect their own health and that of their unborn child, women who are, or who may be, pregnant must avoid contact with livestock animals, especially goats, sheep, cattle and their young. This is because infectious organisms that could harm them or their unborn child may be present in birth fluids of livestock animals. Pregnant women must also pay particular attention to personal hygiene by avoiding touching animals and their enclosures and by frequently washing their hands with soap and water.

Animals Can Bite
Children should be supervised by their accompanying adult at all times when touching, stroking or feeding any animals.

Stay Out
Under no circumstances should you or your child be inside of an animal pen/enclosure. Do not lift your child/children on to pen/enclosure walls due to the risk of falling from height or over balancing and landing in the animal pen/enclosure.

Climbing
Do not allow your child/ children to climb on any enclosure boundaries including fencing.

First Aid
If you require first aid, please see a member of staff. In an emergency dial 999 stating your location as Wigfield Farm, Haverlands Lane, Barnsley, S70 5NQ

Uneven Surfaces
The ground on the farm can be uneven in places, please wear sensible footwear and be mindful of footings on grassed areas.

Wigfield Farm Tour video

About Wigfield Farm

Wigfield Farm is set in Worsbrough, Barnsley and has three main functions:

• A working farm producing livestock
• A base for Barnsley College Horticulture and Animal Management courses
• An Open Farm and Visitors Centre accessible to the local and wider community

A large part of the practical tasks during the week are actually undertaken by students following one of our many programmes of study giving them a real working environment to develop their skills and knowledge.

The farm is situated approximately 2 miles south-west of Barnsley next to Worsbrough Country Park. It is near to the Dove Valley Trail section of the Trans-Pennine Trail, and provides a perfect visitor attraction for adults and children.

We have a wide range of animals including meerkats, llamas, horses, cows, goats, shetland pony, ferrets, donkeys, pigs, sheep, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits and much more.

Our students take a walk on the wild side in our exotics room where they care for and study a variety of reptiles [unfortunately this is not open to the public].

The farm operates a café serving light lunches, snacks and refreshments as well as a varied souvenir shop.

Part-Time Courses

We hold a number of short courses at Wigfield Farm throughout the year. For information on all our courses please visit Barnsley College’s Animal Care  and Horticulture page.