Cropthorne Parish Council

Background and introduction to Corran Dean CIC

Corran Dean CIC was set up in September 2014 with the aim of meeting the needs of mainly young people with a range of learning and other disabilities and additional support needs, usually with complex behavioural issues, often with autistic spectrum conditions.

The responsibility of running this not for profit company is shared between Catherine Brockie, as the Managing Director and Co-Directors Sally Ashwin and Robert Nichols. The Directors meet quarterly. Catherine works directly in the business, training and managing staff, and overseeing all the client support, business operations and background work needed to make the company’s work go smoothly and successfully.

We are based at Smokey Farm in a spacious, peaceful, rural location, which has new purpose built supported living accommodation for 6 young people with learning disabilities and complex behavioural issues associated with their autism, a bungalow on site from which respite / short break services operate, and indoor space to compliment outdoor activity areas for clients and tenants.

We provide a range of activities including caring for farm animals which have been carefully chosen to respond well to people and who clients find rewarding and unthreatening. We cultivate and harvest fruit and vegetables for preserves, veg boxes for our local community and for use in the kitchens of our clients and tenants. Our current services are embedded into the community as far as possible and we would want to encourage the community to use the planned new outdoor facilities. We hold open activity days for the community to encourage more integration and understanding of our client group and support events – e.g. Moreton in the Marsh show with some of our client’s contributions. We encourage other providers of day services for those with learning disabilities to visit our facilities and share good practice with one another.

Our young people would benefit from more physical activity and stimulation on site, and we want to build an outdoor sensory exploration area incorporating a walk and cycle track, sensory play and wildlife areas which can be shared with the community. The equipment within it would be suitable for adults, young people/children. It will have a robust specification to allow for the physical needs of our fully grown, young adult clients/tenants and encourage fitness and weight reduction and healthier living programmes for our teens, young adults and anyone else from our local community who uses the facility. The equipment and activities within the area will be selected and installed to meet the needs of individuals with sensory processing and integration difficulties, and will include activities and equipment that provide either sensory stimulation or calming – depending on each individual’s needs. By providing opportunities for people to engage in activities that involve pushing, pulling, hanging, spinning, swinging, sitting, walking, cycling etc. these individuals can ‘feed’ their sensory systems which are frequently out of balance. These types of activities enable them to rebalance and calm their sensory systems naturally, which in turn enables them to manage their own arousal levels and behaviour, avoiding the need for restrictive and invasive behaviour management techniques.

Challenges

We have faced significant challenges in building the supported living accommodation, not least of which has been the funding for this work. We had hoped to create this adventure play and leisure facility as part of the bigger project of providing this much needed accommodation with facilities for outdoor activities, maximising the benefit of play and leisure in the natural environment. However, all of our efforts have been engaged in finding sufficient funding for the main building and we already have undertaken significant borrowing to allow the main residential accommodation to be completed.

The Project

We would very much like to design and create a special space accessible by a public footpath to benefit the whole community. This will raise awareness of our work and people with disabilities, particularly autism, alongside providing a special place to further enjoy the environment around the Care Farm, extending the habitat for wildlife, and providing adventure and sensory opportunities. It will provide an added interest for cyclists and walkers and an oasis of attractive and interesting experiences which complement the natural environment.

The “play area” will be specifically designed to cater for fully grown adults, although children will be able to enjoy the facilities too. Set in an already thriving wildlife setting with deer, skylarks and hares, we hope to encourage more wildlife through planting etc. This should complement the play area in the village rather than duplicate it, as most play areas could not cater for fully grown adults who may or may not have sensory processing and integration needs. (There may be residents in the village and surrounding areas with autism and disabilities that would probably include sensory processing problems. They have needs to access facilities in an environment/place where they are able to manage the sensory stimulation, but in a calm and relaxing place, which would not be possible in the play area in the village.)

Description of the area and details of the project

We have identified land on the farm, (see above brown triangle in the centre of the shot). This plot is adjacent to our existing and ever developing vegetable growing area, so the public will also see this in action and may encourage to grow vegetables themselves. This can be accessed via the footpath which runs along the bottom of the triangle.

The following three images illustrate how the plot looks currently.

First phase

• We will design and install a track, made from self-binding gravel, providing a safe place to practice cycling, and a sturdy path for walking and watching wildlife.
• We will provide seating to provide places of rest and safety for people exploring the area.
• We will plant suitable trees and shrubs to provide additional habitat and sensory, olfactory and visual experiences
• As part of the design we will install
  • climbing challenges to provide opportunities to strengthen the upper body, grip and core strength
  • A basket swing, suitable for all ages will provide support for vestibular and proprioceptive development, and fun for all choosing to use it
  • Standing chimes, set in a semi-circle to provide auditory and sensory feedback

We estimate that the first phase of this project would cost around £29,000 as landscaping and this sturdy equipment is very expensive. (One quote has already suggested £20,000 +VAT would be needed just for the reinforced track and the climber alone.) We are already seeking to obtain 3 quotes for each element of the project to ensure we create best value for money.

We would hope to follow this up with the installation of further equipment and facilities as and when we are able to raise additional funding. We will also be approaching local businesses to explore whether they would be able to donate trees, shrubs, benches etc.

.

Images of play equipment proposed.

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Comments on our existing service and the need for further outdoor facilities

1. “Jonathan’s Sensory Modulation Dysfunction has a profound effect on his arousal levels, posture and movement. To help him stimulate and regulate his under-responsive and over-responsive sensory systems he is prescribed a daily ‘sensory diet’ which helps him to remain calm, happy and to function properly. To stimulate his under-responsive proprioceptive system he needs to engage in activities which make him work his body such as pushing and carrying heavy things, and leisure activities that are rich in movement such as hill/brisk walking or running.”
2. “N is a young man who is known to love being outdoors, with access to large open spaces, including country side and beaches. He thrives when he has the opportunity to walk/run in an unrestricted environment. He is more confident and secure in wide open, familiar spaces. He is a very physically able man, who will scale walls and fences, ….N has little or no sense of danger and no road safety awareness.”
3. “One parent said “Overall the summer was the best one we’ve had for several years to be honest, largely because of the service we got from you for P – it really helped to keep him (and us!) relaxed during the weeks when nothing else was arranged.  And when he spent the weekend with you, it was our first full weekend without him for 4 years.  So a big thank you to all involved – we really needed it!”
4. “My son has a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome, this is a life limited epilepsy, contracted at the moment of conception and manifests itself in the first year, …. he has severe learning difficulties, he is nonverbal and double incontinent. He is very mobile and hyperactive and is on the autism spectrum. He is unaware of danger, has behavioural issues, I guess it’s like having a 2-3-year-old in a 21-year olds body with the strength of 3 men. He has lots of smiles, very tactile and sensory so he sniffs and hugs people. He loves to be outside in the open whatever the weather……We found that he thrives with a lot of open space”

Background and introduction to Corran Dean CIC

Corran Dean CIC was set up in September 2014 with the aim of meeting the needs of mainly young people with a range of learning and other disabilities and additional support needs, usually with complex behavioural issues, often with autistic spectrum conditions.

The responsibility of running this not for profit company is shared between Catherine Brockie, as the Managing Director and Co-Directors Sally Ashwin and Robert Nichols. The Directors meet quarterly. Catherine works directly in the business, training and managing staff, and overseeing all the client support, business operations and background work needed to make the company’s work go smoothly and successfully.

We are based at Smokey Farm in a spacious, peaceful, rural location, which has new purpose built supported living accommodation for 6 young people with learning disabilities and complex behavioural issues associated with their autism, a bungalow on site from which respite / short break services operate, and indoor space to compliment outdoor activity areas for clients and tenants.

We provide a range of activities including caring for farm animals which have been carefully chosen to respond well to people and who clients find rewarding and unthreatening. We cultivate and harvest fruit and vegetables for preserves, veg boxes for our local community and for use in the kitchens of our clients and tenants. Our current services are embedded into the community as far as possible and we would want to encourage the community to use the planned new outdoor facilities. We hold open activity days for the community to encourage more integration and understanding of our client group and support events – e.g. Moreton in the Marsh show with some of our client’s contributions. We encourage other providers of day services for those with learning disabilities to visit our facilities and share good practice with one another.

Our young people would benefit from more physical activity and stimulation on site, and we want to build an outdoor sensory exploration area incorporating a walk and cycle track, sensory play and wildlife areas which can be shared with the community. The equipment within it would be suitable for adults, young people/children. It will have a robust specification to allow for the physical needs of our fully grown, young adult clients/tenants and encourage fitness and weight reduction and healthier living programmes for our teens, young adults and anyone else from our local community who uses the facility. The equipment and activities within the area will be selected and installed to meet the needs of individuals with sensory processing and integration difficulties, and will include activities and equipment that provide either sensory stimulation or calming – depending on each individual’s needs. By providing opportunities for people to engage in activities that involve pushing, pulling, hanging, spinning, swinging, sitting, walking, cycling etc. these individuals can ‘feed’ their sensory systems which are frequently out of balance. These types of activities enable them to rebalance and calm their sensory systems naturally, which in turn enables them to manage their own arousal levels and behaviour, avoiding the need for restrictive and invasive behaviour management techniques.

Challenges

We have faced significant challenges in building the supported living accommodation, not least of which has been the funding for this work. We had hoped to create this adventure play and leisure facility as part of the bigger project of providing this much needed accommodation with facilities for outdoor activities, maximising the benefit of play and leisure in the natural environment. However, all of our efforts have been engaged in finding sufficient funding for the main building and we already have undertaken significant borrowing to allow the main residential accommodation to be completed.

The Project

We would very much like to design and create a special space accessible by a public footpath to benefit the whole community. This will raise awareness of our work and people with disabilities, particularly autism, alongside providing a special place to further enjoy the environment around the Care Farm, extending the habitat for wildlife, and providing adventure and sensory opportunities. It will provide an added interest for cyclists and walkers and an oasis of attractive and interesting experiences which complement the natural environment.

The “play area” will be specifically designed to cater for fully grown adults, although children will be able to enjoy the facilities too. Set in an already thriving wildlife setting with deer, skylarks and hares, we hope to encourage more wildlife through planting etc. This should complement the play area in the village rather than duplicate it, as most play areas could not cater for fully grown adults who may or may not have sensory processing and integration needs. (There may be residents in the village and surrounding areas with autism and disabilities that would probably include sensory processing problems. They have needs to access facilities in an environment/place where they are able to manage the sensory stimulation, but in a calm and relaxing place, which would not be possible in the play area in the village.)

Description of the area and details of the project

We have identified land on the farm, (see above brown triangle in the centre of the shot). This plot is adjacent to our existing and ever developing vegetable growing area, so the public will also see this in action and may encourage to grow vegetables themselves. This can be accessed via the footpath which runs along the bottom of the triangle.

The following three images illustrate how the plot looks currently.

First phase

• We will design and install a track, made from self-binding gravel, providing a safe place to practice cycling, and a sturdy path for walking and watching wildlife.
• We will provide seating to provide places of rest and safety for people exploring the area.
• We will plant suitable trees and shrubs to provide additional habitat and sensory, olfactory and visual experiences
• As part of the design we will install
  • climbing challenges to provide opportunities to strengthen the upper body, grip and core strength
  • A basket swing, suitable for all ages will provide support for vestibular and proprioceptive development, and fun for all choosing to use it
  • Standing chimes, set in a semi-circle to provide auditory and sensory feedback

We estimate that the first phase of this project would cost around £29,000 as landscaping and this sturdy equipment is very expensive. (One quote has already suggested £20,000 +VAT would be needed just for the reinforced track and the climber alone.) We are already seeking to obtain 3 quotes for each element of the project to ensure we create best value for money.

We would hope to follow this up with the installation of further equipment and facilities as and when we are able to raise additional funding. We will also be approaching local businesses to explore whether they would be able to donate trees, shrubs, benches etc.

.

Images of play equipment proposed.

.

Comments on our existing service and the need for further outdoor facilities

1. “Jonathan’s Sensory Modulation Dysfunction has a profound effect on his arousal levels, posture and movement. To help him stimulate and regulate his under-responsive and over-responsive sensory systems he is prescribed a daily ‘sensory diet’ which helps him to remain calm, happy and to function properly. To stimulate his under-responsive proprioceptive system he needs to engage in activities which make him work his body such as pushing and carrying heavy things, and leisure activities that are rich in movement such as hill/brisk walking or running.”
2. “N is a young man who is known to love being outdoors, with access to large open spaces, including country side and beaches. He thrives when he has the opportunity to walk/run in an unrestricted environment. He is more confident and secure in wide open, familiar spaces. He is a very physically able man, who will scale walls and fences, ….N has little or no sense of danger and no road safety awareness.”
3. “One parent said “Overall the summer was the best one we’ve had for several years to be honest, largely because of the service we got from you for P – it really helped to keep him (and us!) relaxed during the weeks when nothing else was arranged.  And when he spent the weekend with you, it was our first full weekend without him for 4 years.  So a big thank you to all involved – we really needed it!”
4. “My son has a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome, this is a life limited epilepsy, contracted at the moment of conception and manifests itself in the first year, …. he has severe learning difficulties, he is nonverbal and double incontinent. He is very mobile and hyperactive and is on the autism spectrum. He is unaware of danger, has behavioural issues, I guess it’s like having a 2-3-year-old in a 21-year olds body with the strength of 3 men. He has lots of smiles, very tactile and sensory so he sniffs and hugs people. He loves to be outside in the open whatever the weather……We found that he thrives with a lot of open space”