A place to be, not perform.

Some people come here to learn. Some come to meet the pigs but you don’t always need an experience. Sometimes you simply need somewhere quiet to land, somewhere you can do absolutely nothing, somewhere quiet, steady and calm.

This is two hours at Cross Bank Farm with no workshop, no group activity, no pressure to talk and no expectation to do anything useful. You can sit with a drink, watch the pigs, listen to the hens, wander where it is safe to wander or simply be still for a while.

We will welcome you, show you where everything is, explain the farm boundaries and then leave you in peace unless you need us.

This is not therapy, counselling or treatment. It is simply quiet time in a place that recognises that we all, sometimes, just need to be.

Small numbers. Clear boundaries. No forced conversation. No group exercises. No wellness language. Just time on a real farm, at a human pace.

Quiet Time - 2 hours

Quiet Time is for people who want space, animals, tea and fresh air without being expected to do very much at all.

You will be welcomed, shown where everything is and given a simple explanation of the farm boundaries and safety points. After that, the time is deliberately gentle.

You may want to sit quietly with a drink.
You may want to watch the pigs.
You may want to listen to the hens, wander where it is safe to wander, or simply stand still for a while and let the world stop asking things of you.

There is no set activity to complete and no pressure to talk. We will be nearby if you need us, but we will not hover, entertain or fill the quiet for the sake of it.

This is a good choice if you are tired, anxious, burnt out, neurodivergent, overwhelmed, or just need somewhere calm and real for a couple of hours.

Includes:

• A gentle welcome and short safety briefing

• Tea, coffee or a cold drink

• Quiet time around the farm

• Time near the animals, where safe and appropriate

• Space to sit, wander or simply be still

• A Cross Bank Farm product to take home

£35 per person. Limited to 4 people.

£55 for solo visit.

A Useful Morning - 2 hours

Not everyone feels better by sitting still.

Some people feel better with a simple job in their hands, a kettle nearby, and no pressure to explain themselves.

A Useful Morning is quiet, purposeful time on the farm built around small, seasonal tasks. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is compulsory. The point is not productivity. The point is to be gently useful in a real place.

Depending on the day, you might help fill hay, brush pigs, prepare feed bowls, sort kindling, check egg boxes, tidy a stable front, plant something, sweep the yard or help with another simple farm job.

You do not need experience. We will only offer safe, suitable tasks and you can step back at any time.

Conversation is welcome, but never required.

This may suit people who feel calmer doing something practical, people who find ordinary social situations difficult, people who miss having a role, or anyone who would rather do than talk.

Includes:

• A gentle welcome and short safety briefing

• One or two simple seasonal farm tasks

• Time with the animals, where safe and appropriate

• Tea, coffee or a cold drink

• A quiet break with no forced conversation

• A small Cross Bank Farm product to take home

£45 per person. Limited to 3 people.

£65 for solo visit.

Please note: A Useful Morning is not employment, volunteering, therapy or training. It is a small, supervised farm experience for adults who feel better with something real to do.

Please also note: Cross Bank Farm is a real working smallholding, which means there may be mud, uneven ground, over-enthusiastic pigs, interesting & unusual smells, insects with no respect for personal space, electric fencing, weather doing whatever it likes, poultry noise and the usual unpredictability of animals.