Very expensive

AT THE schools' Easter holidays, when we had some nice weather, my family and some friends took our children up to the Noah's Ark Farm at Failand. What a nice day out for all of us. Grandparents, parents, schoolchildren, also infants, it is so nice to have a venue on our doorstep that is open to all comers most of the year.Having experience in the tourist industry for more years than I care to mention I wish to point out that this is a very expensive facility to keep going all the year round. However should it close, as it does, for two months of the year, the livestock still need the same degree of attention and feed. All of which is very expensive as any farmer will tell you, or any person with experience of any livestock. I note Noah's Ark has two shire horses now.In 1984 when I had some business difficulties, I had two shire horses to feed apart from anything else and Mr and Mrs Bush read of this in the Bristol Evening Post. They then kindly sought me out, and offered to keep my horses free of charge for a year. They did not know me but as Christians they felt they had to help another person in difficulty. The fact that they called us helped considerably. At that time Mr and Mrs Bush farmed a herd of milking cows. Then about 1986/7 they started the scheme to send cows to Africa, by sending a young cow from their own herd at their own cost to Africa to help poor families and widows in distress. This was then taken up nationally I believe by farmers when most farmers were hard pressed to keep their heads above water, again a Christian act by an English group. Education is said to be priceless, and it is an education for children to visit this establishment, but is true kindness beyond price?I am now retired, so with my wife and daughter we take our grandchildren to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, usually with friends, and hope to have the health to continue doing so for many years.CLLR ROBERT G COLEMAN - Nailsea Town Council