City farm faces £70,000 shortfall

Workers say the animals help calm some children down

An urban farm which has been open for more than 20 years may have to close because of a lack of funding.

Coventry City Farm is in the Hillfields area of the city, one of the more deprived wards, and needs £70,000 a year to operate.

Workers said the farm is vital for children to get close to animals.

The city council said it is trying to find the funding required. But workers said the farm will shut at the end of January if the money is not found.

Spokesman Graham Partridge said donations had dried up with charities giving their money to what they say are more deserving causes.

'Calms pupils down'

He added that the farm helped pupils who felt uncomfortable at school.

"It is not as easy to understand what our charitable purposes are as, say, Cancer Research.

"People know what Cancer Research is for and it's much more difficult to explain what a farm does.

"Young people who are disaffected at school sometimes come here and through contact with the animals it calms them down and has a significant effect on them."