Island Community Haven CIC

13/05/2026

🐥✨ Meet Our New Arrivals! ✨🐥

We’re excited to introduce the newest members of the farm family — 5 Barred Plymouth Rock chicks! 🖤🤍

These fluffy little ones are almost 2 weeks old and are already growing fast, becoming more confident and curious every day. The young people have loved helping care for them and watching their personalities begin to shine through. 🌿💚

Did you know? 👀
🐔 Barred Plymouth Rocks are known for their beautiful black-and-white striped feathers
🥚 They grow into excellent egg layers, producing around 200–250 eggs a year
🧠 They’re famous for being calm, friendly, and easy to handle — making them brilliant birds for farms and families
❄️ Their thick feathers also make them very hardy in colder weather

For now, they’re staying warm, cosy, and safe while they continue to grow stronger each day. We can’t wait to watch them become part of the flock! 🐣✨

06/05/2026

💚 A Sad Farewell to Charlie

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Charlie, our much-loved donkey, has sadly passed away.

Charlie was a huge part of life at the farm and brought comfort, calmness and joy to so many people over the years. Whether it was a quiet moment in the field, feeding time, or simply seeing his friendly face each week, Charlie meant a great deal to our community.

We know many of our young people, families, volunteers and supporters will feel this loss deeply. Animals have a special way of connecting with people, and Charlie was no exception.

We remember the happy memories and moments Charlie gave us all 🫏

10/03/2026

Today we say goodbye to Zoey, who is leaving The Island Project after more than 10 years with us 💙

Zoey has had a huge impact on the project, helping to shape the culture and ethos that make it such a special place. She has supported countless young people over the years and has always been a favourite among those who spend time here

During her time with us, Zoey grew from a project worker into our Animal Welfare Lead, even completing her Master’s degree along the way — a testament to her dedication and passion

Her legacy will continue to live on at the project through the standards she set and the care she showed to both young people and animals 🌴

We’re incredibly grateful for everything Zoey has given to the project and wish her all the very best for the future 💙

25/12/2025

🎄 Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a hopeful New Year 🎄

As we come to the end of another year, we just want to say a huge thank you to all of our incredible students, families, schools, supporters, and everyone who follows and believes in what we do.

This year has been full of hard work, growth, resilience, and many small moments that really matter — and we are so proud of every young person who has been part of The Island Project.

We hope Christmas brings you rest, kindness, and time with the people who matter most, and that the New Year brings fresh starts, strength, and new opportunities.

With very best wishes,

Jacqui, Ali and the Island team 💚

21/12/2025

🎅 Santa's Haven Stop 🎄

You're all invited to our FREE gathering tomorrow, there's no need to book, the only thing you need to bring is Christmas cheer 🎁

Please note, all under 18s must be accompanied with an adult.

🎄✨ You’re invited to Santa’s Haven Stop! ✨🎄

Join us on 22nd December, 14:00–16:30 at The Island Project (Draycott, DE72 3PD) for a magical, free-entry Christmas afternoon filled with:
🐐 Animal encounters
🎅 Santa’s Grotto
🎶 Festive music
🍰 Cakes & hot drinks
🎁 Crafts, games & a festive photo booth
🎉 Christmas raffle with amazing prizes!

This is a wonderful chance to visit our animals, meet the community, and support the work we do with vulnerable young people. We can’t wait to see you there! ❤️

19/12/2025

🎄✨ Island Community Haven Christmas Raffle! ✨🎄

🐾 Every ticket helps support the care of our therapy animals, who make such a difference to the vulnerable young people we work with all year round. Thank you for supporting our Haven this Christmas ❤️🐾

📣 Winners will be announced during our Santa's Haven Stop Event on 22nd December. (See comments for link to this event)

💻 Can’t attend? No problem! You can still buy tickets online and be entered into the draw.

🎟️ Tickets: £5 each (Click donate, one-time payment, amount = £5 with your name as the reference)

🎁 Amazing prizes generously donated by:
Sudbury Hall • Circus Hub Nottingham • The Glee Club Birmingham • Hotpod Yoga Derby • Calke Abbey • Birmingham Conservation Park • Meet Space VR • Red Carpet Cinema • Derby County Football Club • Trentham Monkey Forest • Morely Hayes • Pudding Pantry •

🎟️ Buy your tickets here: linktr.ee/havencic (Click donate, one-time payment, amount = £5 with your name as the reference)

15/12/2025

🎄✨ You’re invited to Santa’s Haven Stop! ✨🎄

Join us on 22nd December, 14:00–16:30 at The Island Project (Draycott, DE72 3PD) for a magical, free-entry Christmas afternoon filled with:
🐐 Animal encounters
🎅 Santa’s Grotto
🎶 Festive music
🍰 Cakes & hot drinks
🎁 Crafts, games & a festive photo booth
🎉 Christmas raffle with amazing prizes!

This is a wonderful chance to visit our animals, meet the community, and support the work we do with vulnerable young people. We can’t wait to see you there! ❤️

12/12/2025

🎄✨ Island Community Haven Christmas Raffle! ✨🎄

🐾 Every ticket helps support the care of our therapy animals, who make such a difference to the vulnerable young people we work with all year round. Thank you for supporting our Haven this Christmas ❤️🐾

📣 Winners will be announced during our Santa's Haven Stop Event on 22nd December. (See comments for link to this event)

💻 Can’t attend? No problem! You can still buy tickets online and be entered into the draw.

🎟️ Tickets: £5 each (Click donate, one-time payment, amount = £5 with your name as the reference)

🎁 Amazing prizes generously donated by:
Sudbury Hall • Circus Hub Nottingham • The Glee Club Birmingham • Hotpod Yoga Derby • Calke Abbey • Birmingham Conservation Park • Meet Space VR • Red Carpet Cinema • Derby County Football Club • Trentham Monkey Forest • Morely Hayes • Pudding Pantry •

🎟️ Buy your tickets here: linktr.ee/havencic (Click donate, one-time payment, amount = £5 with your name as the reference)

10/12/2025

🧡 Vaccination Day for Our Goats & Pigs! 🐐🐖💉

In November our animals had their Lambivac vaccines — and The Island Project's amazing young people were incredible helpers!

They:
✨ Fed the goats and pigs their favourite treats
✨ Helped keep everyone calm and relaxed
✨ Distracted the animals with gentle voices and scratches
✨ Watched how a safe vaccination happens
✨ Completed worksheets to learn why vaccines are so important

Thanks to their kindness and teamwork, the whole process was smooth, safe, and stress-free.
Our animals are now protected, and our young people gained real hands-on animal care experience. 🫶

Well done team — the goats and pigs think you’re superstars! 🌟🐐🐖💚

08/12/2025

🌱 The Island Project – Alpha Testers Wanted! 🌱

We’re excited to announce that our new short course, “The Five Animal Welfare Needs”, is nearly ready—and we’re looking for a small group of young people to help us alpha test the online platform before it goes live. This course shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours to complete.

We’re inviting:
* Parents of school-age children
* Home-educated young people
* Families already connected with The Island Project
* Any young person who meets our usual criteria and would benefit from online learning opportunities

What does the alpha test involve?
✔ Accessing the online course
✔ Checking for broken links, layout issues, or confusing instructions
✔ Watching short videos
✔ Completing a short evaluation form
✔ Optional course review after completion

Why take part?
* Your young person gets early access to our new educational platform
* Helps us improve online learning for future students
* A great opportunity to contribute to our ongoing development
* Suitable for ages 9–18

Consent Required:
Parental/guardian consent must be completed before access is given.
All data will be handled securely in line with GDPR.

If you’d like your young person to participate, please complete the consent form here:
➡️ https://forms.gle/Fai7sdNzYtn7Sef78

Thank you for supporting The Island Project as we build something special for young people and families. 🌿

If you have any questions please feel free to email me on [email protected]