A County Armagh farmer is currently ploughing his efforts into staging a rather unique event, which will provide new experiences for children and adults with disabilities while raising money for Lisanally Special School.
John Faloon, from Tassagh, is working in conjunction with Diverse Minds Events in putting together a ‘Silent Dairy Farm and Machinery Show’.
It is due to be held on the farm of his father-in-law, Stanley Livingstone, on Sunday, August 16.
John seized upon the idea after he and his wife, Christina, took their six-year-old son Josh, who is non-verbal autistic, to a ‘sensory car show’ at Slieve Donard in Newcastle, Co Down.
He told Armagh I : “It was aimed at people who struggle to go to things with big crowds and with big noises and all the rest that comes with that, that maybe people struggle with.
“We left that car show thinking that was brilliant and what can we do? I’m from a farming background, so I thought to myself we could do the same only with the farming sector.
“This is an open dairy farm and machinery show and it is aimed at kids and adults with any disability out there, anybody that has suffered from anything, and their families as well.
“My father-in-law is a large contractor and dairy farmer out between Killylea and Benburb, so we’re going to have this on his farm, working closely with Gail at Diverse Minds Events, who is helping us run the whole thing.”
Billed as a ‘silent’ event – “apart from the cows mooing!” – the special fundraiser will give visitors an insight into a working farm but in a relaxed setting.
“It’s a dairy farm, so the only animals that will be seen will be cows and calves,” explained John. “There’s a milking parlour; it won’t be in use at the time with the noise and stuff, but there will be three robots operating and they’ll be milking cows, so you’ll be able to see the robots milking the cows, you’ll be able to see the cows just eating their feed and lying up.
“In the machinery shed, I’m going to have all the different colours of tractors that I can get my hands on and different bits of machinery. It’s quite a big yard, and we have a large indoor shed too, so if the weather doesn’t go favourably, we’ll go in there.”
Meanwhile, Diverse Minds Events will be providing games and there will be a quiet area and sensory experience room on site.
There will also be refreshments – tea and coffee, ice-cream and buns – to ensure everyone, just like the livestock, are well fed and watered!
As well as being hosted by WS Livingstone and Sons – who organise the annual record-breaking post-Christmas tractor in Armagh – it is also being sponsored by them too, along with John’s employer, Caledon Estate Company.
John and Christina – parents to Josh, four-year-old Ollie and baby sister Emma, who is almost seven months – are delighted to see the event now coming to fruition.
“This has never happened before,” added John, who would like to thank his father-in-law Stanley for hosting the event.
“I’ve never seen it organised, so we don’t know if it will work or not, but it’s just about getting the word out there to the families that don’t go to shows necessarily because of the large crowds, like Balmoral, even Armagh Show. We’re capping it to 40 people per hour, so there won’t be large crowds at any time of the day.
“Maybe kids are interested in that, but maybe kids from towns or the city or whatever would never have the opportunity to go to a farm. Stanley was just happy to open the farm up for us.
“Every time we go over to my in-laws, Josh has to get going to this machinery shed. He could spend up to half an hour or an hour running about it and he just loves getting in around the machinery.
“Obviously, we can have it all made safe, there’ll be barriers up and it’ll all be correctly done that way. Gail has been helping us with the format of it and making sure it’s all wheelchair-friendly.
“It has been in the making for the last five or six weeks but the word isn’t out yet, but I just wanted to push the word out now before school is finished.”
The farm is located at 14 Wilsontown Road and will be open between 10am and 4pm, with a maximum of 40 entrants each hour. The cost is just £5 person, with those under age four admitted free.
All proceeds will certainly be put to good use.
As John explained: “All the money that’s raised is going to Lisanally Special School, where Josh goes. They’re brilliant with him and I’m sure with all the other kids, so we just obviously know how Josh’s day goes.
“We just thought any money that’s raised we would send to them. They are doing new development work there, but it could be for anything, in the classroom or new toys in the playground or for whatever.”
For further information and to book your tickets and time slots visit, www.diversemindsevents.com/shop/ or call John on 078 4002 4296 or Gail at 075 1202 6990.
** PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS FOR CHILDREN OR FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES ONLY AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES **
