Occombe and its staff are accredited by the CEVAS scheme.

We follow Torbay and Devon County Council’s guidelines for adult to child ratios in the outdoors doing fieldwork activities. This is 1 adult to 6 children for under 8 year olds and 1 to 15 for over 8 year olds. Thus we require the visiting group leader to bring as many helpers as necessary to fulfil the relevant ratio.

Occombe is a working farm which presents specific risks for children. Every visiting group will be given a Health & Safety introduction at the start of the visit and safety talks specific to any activity undertaken. Some of the issues are:

Machinery – it is unlikely that visiting groups will be near working machinery but if it happens a safe distance must be maintained.

Livestock – hand-washing facilities are available in the farmyard and visitors should use them whenever they have been near livestock or exploring the farm. We will insist on children washing their hands and boots when necessary, particularly before returning to the Visitor Centre and having lunch.

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