Horse
Athena
An ex polo pony.
Enjoys: Great with young people. Kind and gentle.
Life now: Out in the fields at Model Farm, in most weathers, usually first to the gate.
Observation or experienced handlers only
Rescue & sanctuary
Animals who needed somewhere, and people who needed them
Our rescue and sanctuary work isn't a side project. It's the reason a lot of people manage to come here at all.
Professional or social prescribing referral?Referral information
The work
Care first, always
Our farm is home to animals who needed a soft landing. Some came from homes or smallholdings that could no longer meet their needs, some through rescue and rehoming connections, and others because Model Farm could offer an appropriate long-term home.
Some may eventually be rehomed. For others, Wild Mind becomes home. Decisions are based on welfare, capacity and what is right for the individual animal, never on what makes a better photograph.
Before you ask
We cannot automatically accept animals. Our existing animals, available facilities, welfare, capacity and licensing arrangements must always be considered.
Please don't bring an animal to us unannounced, contact us first so we can respond properly.
Animal welfare
Welfare comes before activity
The animals are part of the Wild Minds community, but their welfare always comes first. People may care for them, learn alongside them, contribute towards their environments or simply spend time around them. Any interaction must be appropriate to the individual animal.
- Welfare-led.
- Appropriately supervised.
- Risk assessed.
- Based on the animal's individual needs.
- Respectful of the animal's choice and behaviour.
Not every animal is suitable for direct interaction. Some animals may only be observed, or cared for by experienced members of the team.
Meet the animals
Every one has a story
Name to come
Wolfdog
Life now: Part of daily life on the farm, walked and handled by experienced members of the team. Everyone learns about wolves and their importance in the wild, and the persecution they still face in many places.
Observation or experienced senior handlers only
Owl
Tamarind
Cared for by experienced handlers only. Although she isn't native, she's a wonderful starting point to talk about wildlife, ecosystems and food chains with visiting groups.
Observation or experienced handlers only
Large Black pig
Bernard Roy
A Large Black, a native rare breed.
Life now: Living in his paddock at the farm, with plenty of space to dig, wallow and sleep. Large Blacks are one of Britain's native rare breed pigs, known for their calm temperament and excellent foraging ability.
Ask us
People and animals
Sometimes conversation comes easier alongside something else
Some people don't want to sit opposite someone in a room and talk. But put a wheelbarrow in their hands, give them a stable to muck out or something practical to get on with, and conversation can come much more naturally.
Animals don't require small talk. Practical jobs give people something to do alongside one another.
And sometimes having a reason to turn up matters just as much as having somewhere to talk.
Connection • Responsibility • Purpose • Community
Licensing
Licensed animal activities at Model Farm
Animal activities at Model Farm are licensed by Buckinghamshire Council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 for the keeping or training of animals for exhibition.
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Animal Activity Licence: LC202602-157410
- Licensed activity
- Keeping or training animals for exhibition
- Licence holder
- Camilla China Malom, trading as Wild Minds Pro Ltd
- Licensed premises
- Model Farm, Flackwell Heath, Buckinghamshire
- Licence period
- 17 June 2026 – 16 June 2029
The wider family
One farm. Shared responsibility.
Model Farm is shared across the wider Wild Minds family.
Wild Mind Well-Being CIC develops the community, rescue, sanctuary, volunteering and social-impact side of the farm.
The animals are also part of the environment at Wild Minds Alternative Provision, operated through Wild Minds Pro Ltd. Young people attending the Alternative Provision can take part in appropriately supervised animal care, land-based learning and practical projects, developing knowledge and practical skills while contributing positively to the animals' daily care and environments.
The organisations have different purposes but share the farm, expertise and a commitment to responsible animal welfare. Across both, care comes first.
Partnership
Working with Alley Cats Rescue
Wild Mind Well-Being CIC works alongside Alley Cats Rescue to provide appropriate fostering opportunities for feral cats. Not every cat is suited to life in a conventional domestic foster home.
For suitable cats, the farm environment may provide space and an alternative fostering setting while their individual needs and longer-term options are considered in collaboration with Alley Cats Rescue.
Alley Cats brings specialist feline rescue knowledge and its wider rescue network; Wild Mind can provide appropriate space, practical support and a farm environment for suitable foster placements.
If you've found a stray cat, need help relating to a cat or colony, want to foster or adopt, or need information about their wider rescue work, please go to Alley Cats Rescue directly.
How to help
Rescue runs on unglamorous things
Feed, bedding, vet bills and someone reliable at 7am in February.
Give your time
There is always practical work involved in caring for a farm and improving the environments our animals live in. Depending on current needs, skills and appropriate supervision, volunteering might involve mucking out, feeding, cleaning, gardening, horticulture, fencing, painting, building, maintenance, preparing animal environments, enrichment projects, woodland work, practical sanctuary projects, administration, fundraising, events or skilled and professional volunteering.
We can't promise every volunteer direct animal contact, it depends on the individual animal, species, experience, activity, risk assessment, supervision and welfare considerations.
Volunteer with us →Give something useful
Depending on our current needs, useful support may include feed, straw, bedding, appropriate equipment, building materials, fencing materials, enrichment resources, horticultural materials and practical supplies.
Please ask us what we currently need before bringing donations to the farm.
Ask what we need →Coming
Animal sponsorship is coming
We are developing ways for individuals, families and businesses to contribute towards the ongoing care of animals who call Model Farm home. Future sponsorship may help contribute towards things such as feed, bedding, enrichment, veterinary care, housing and environment improvements.
Register your interest →Help with the things animals actually need
Animal care comes with real ongoing costs. Support can help us contribute towards veterinary treatment, preventative care, appropriate neutering, dental care, feed, bedding, enrichment, housing, fencing, shelter and environmental improvements.
Fund the work
Help us build something that lasts
Rescue and sanctuary work needs more than goodwill. It needs appropriate environments, fencing, shelter, equipment, veterinary care, feed, bedding and people with the time and skills to keep everything working. Funding can also create projects that bring animal welfare and community benefit together.
We welcome conversations with grant funders, trusts and foundations, businesses, corporate sponsors, charitable organisations, community partners, animal welfare organisations and philanthropic supporters.
Potential funding areas may include animal housing, fencing, shelters, veterinary and welfare costs where eligible, rescue infrastructure, feral cat fostering facilities, enrichment, habitats, environmental improvements, woodland projects, horticulture, volunteer facilities, accessibility, community projects, equipment and capital improvements.
Built by community
Animal welfare + people + purpose
Some of the jobs that make life better for animals can also give people something meaningful to contribute to.
Projects around Model Farm can bring together community volunteers, Men's Shed members, corporate teams, staff, partner organisations and appropriately supervised young people attending Wild Minds Alternative Provision.
That might mean repairing fencing, building shelters, improving habitats, making enrichment, restoring spaces, gardening, horticulture, woodland work or environmental projects.
The work should always exist because it is genuinely useful. We don't manufacture jobs just to give people something to do.
Men's Shed
Made in the Shed
Some practical projects around the farm may also provide useful jobs for members of WILD Men's Shed.
Making, mending and improving things gives people a reason to work alongside one another while contributing something tangible to the wider community.
Social & green prescribing
Animals, nature and purposeful activity
Some appropriate opportunities at Model Farm may form part of Wild Mind Well-Being's wider Social & Green Prescribing offer. Not everyone needs or wants a conventional group. Not everyone wants to sit in a room and talk. The farm gives us more than one way for people to participate.
- Routine.
- Social connection.
- Opportunities to contribute.
- Practical activity.
- Community participation.
- Somewhere to go, and something to look forward to.
Responsible access
Questions people actually ask
Submitting an enquiry does not mean we can accept an animal. Please wait for confirmation before making any arrangements or travelling to Model Farm.
Model Farm
Wild Mind Well-Being CIC
Community • Connection • Growth
Community, rescue, sanctuary, volunteering and social impact at Model Farm.
Animal activities at Model Farm licensed by Buckinghamshire Council
Animal Activity Licence: LC202602-157410
Keeping or training animals for exhibition
Valid until 16 June 2029
Be part of what happens here
You don't have to rescue an animal yourself to help give one a good life. You can give some time. Build something. Bring your team. Fund a project. Donate something we actually need. Or help us make the next good thing possible.