Nativity at Nettlecombe Farm

There were shepherds, wise men, angels and Mary and Joseph as well as sheep, alpacas and of course donkeys and reindeer performing at the St Francis Catholic and Church of England Academy’s nativity which took place at the Farm in December.

There’s nothing like a real stable and real animals to put on the best nativity play ever and it was clear that the children from St Francis Academy thoroughly enjoyed performing. From the opening scene with our narrators Sam the stableboy and the Shrew who sorted out a comfy place for baby Jesus to be born, right through until the end when all of the cast were assembled in the stable this was a joy to watch and we think that our animals all enjoyed playing their parts too.

Hats off to the teachers and mums and dads for helping with line learning, songs and movement and costumes which all looked very impressive and festive. You can see the full performance including songs which were performed by year groups at the school on our Facebook page and we defy you not to smile all the way through.

We also had a very welcome visit from Santa, who having done his Elf and Safety training popped over to the farm to visit his reindeer who live here for the rest of the year when they’re not out delivering presents. He also explained how we’re helping to keep the Island safe by hand sanitising, washing your hands – and encouraged children to sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas twice when they’re doing it. He also made it very easy to work two metres out from Dancer’s nose to his tail and reminded everyone to wear face coverings when they’re out and about. Even our Elf on a Shelf played his part in highlighting how we can #keeptheislandsafe.

Of course, these are not the only visitors that we welcome to Nettlecombe as the farm is used as an educational resource year- round and we welcome schools and groups of both children and adults to the Farm through the Natural England HLS programme for rural education. These visits encourage children to learn about wildlife, how we manage land and where their food come from, giving them an all round ‘life on a farm’ experience. This kind of learning in the natural environment contributes to the environmental education requirements, as laid out in the current national curriculum, whilst delivering on the Global Goal of Education for Sustainable Development.
You can call us to arrange an educational visit which we can tailor to meet your group’s individual needs working with you to offer a bespoke farm experience on 01983 730783 or email us at enquiries@nettlecombefarm.co.uk