A fun family afternoon at Foal Farm animal sanctuary

Lovely Foal Farm animal sanctuary 

I probably mentioned that at Easter I asked not to receive chocolate (I was still off it from January) so  instead Hubbie sponsored a rabbit for me. Tootsie lives at Foal Farm in Biggin Hill and I hadn't had a chance to go and meet her so this week we decided to pay her a visit on a sunny afternoon.

Hear hear !! 

I think this sign as we were going in explains why I love their approach so much. They really do put animal welfare first. Foal Farm is an animal sanctuary where no healthy animal is destroyed and if they cannot be rehomed they live here as a permanent resident. In order to support and keep these resident animals they have a sponsorship scheme to pay for food and vet's bills. Tootsie is one such resident and she lives alongside cats, horses, and many other animals.

Hello ponies

The animals are very welcoming to visitors and when we arrived there was some activity around the stables so we said hello to the horses and ponies who were very friendly.

Secret garden 

Hunting wabbits 

Aware that we had come to see one special animal, though we made our way to the 'secret garden' area where the rabbits are. My boy and Hubbie led the way to the Bunny House, but not before we saw the lovely little village that my boy remembered from his visit with Daddy when they came to choose Tootsie for me.

Where the bunnies live !

I'm famous !!

We looked around the Bunny House, but couldn't spot Tootsie so we said hello to all the other rabbits and then went to ask at reception. All the sponsored animals get a mention on the walls in reception and their sponsors are named too. As you can see I'm one of many who sponsor Tootsie - she is clearly a very popular lady !!

Tootsie poses

Meeting Tootsie

We were told that she is now in the 'Bunny Park' with her companion Fiver so off we went to look for her. At first we didn't see her in the outdoor pen that she shares with her 'boyfriend' so we visited the others who all have lots of space to roam around. When we came back to the pen we spotted her sitting right next to the gate so we'd just missed her right in front of us !!

Receptionist

Ginseng

One of the really nice things about Foal Farm is that the animals are really part of the life of the farm. There are resident cats who are allowed to roam around and meet and greet visitors, one even sits at reception desk ! Sadly there are a lot of cats who are waiting to be rehomed, including kittens and we decided to visit them.

Meeting kittens

Kitten patting the glass 

A lot of people prefer to have cats as kittens and when you see these guys you can see why.

SO CUUUUTE !!

There is so much to see at Foal Farm and a lot of learning about how pet owners should be responsible and care for their animals. Our lovely friends Neil and Sarah rehomed their cats Lily and Milo from Foal Farm and our cat is from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home. As we were leaving we spotted him in cardboard form :)

It's Neo !! 

As you probably already know our favourite family farm is run by lovely Fiona and her family at Coombe Mill in Cornwall, so I'm delighted to share this post on the #countrykids linky that Fiona hosts :)

  

Easter Family Fun with HP and Snapfish

I remember the first Easter Egg Hunt we did with our boy when he was barely 6 months old and he had no idea what was going on. We hid creme eggs and small foiled wrapped eggs all over the house and took him around as he looked baffled/disinterested and the cat was just unimpressed to find a non biscuit treat in his bed.

Now he's older our boy knows how an Easter Egg Hunt works so we were delighted when HP/Snapfish invited us to an Easter themed day out to play Easter games and try out some crafts at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. We arrived early so the boy and Hubbie had a stroll around the cabinets filled with lovely traditional toys - the displays of confiscated items were far more interesting to us adults though.

The first activity we did was a virtual Easter Egg Hunt which was brilliant. Equipped with a tablet computer the boy and Hubbie took photos of the pictures of eggs they found outside and sent the images to a printer that was indoors - magic !!


I don't know who is more excited about this egg hunt to be honest.

As well as the egg hunt we also used some HP printables to make a photo box using our own photos as well as a rabbit mask. The printables are free online and make a great activity for rainy days or holidays when you have run out of parks to go to and energy to make and do. 

By far the cutest activity on the day was dressing up. Our boy does love playing dress up, but the speed with which he put on a rabbit outfit surprised even me. He makes a very adorable Easter bunny indeed. I cannot wait until he is a teenager and I can show him the photos and embarrass him completely. I'm thinking of making a large canvas print of the rabbit ones using Snapfish and putting it on the wall for maximum effect :)

What we didn't expect was a lovely Easter basket filled with goodies including glitter glue, colouring pens and some chocolate eggs (of course). I'm reusing the basket for some more chocolate goodies - I love a good basket me - and we can't wait to make Easter pictures, cards and some homemade photo gifts for the grandparents. We love Snapfish and when the boy was born everyone we know got a photo gift from linen photo books to canvas prints and mugs adorned with photos of the baby.














I've actually asked for something different from chocolate this year. I've asked Hubbie to 'sponsor' a rabbit for me from Foal Farm, a local charity that rehomes and cares for animals. The ones that cannot be rehomed become permanent residents of the farm and sponsorship pays towards their food and medical care. I'm delighted to be sponsoring Tootsie the rabbit.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter break and that the Easter bunny brings you some lovely treats.

Disclosure: The lovely folks at HP and Snapfish invited us to a family Easter Day - we were not paid, but did receive photo gifts as thanks.