Dedham Therapy Farm

What Dedham Therapy Farm does

Revenue is generated through a hybrid professional-services and charitable-funding model: per-session fees for AAI (£33.60-£75.62), ASDAN, and OT assessment services; donations and corporate sponsorships (monthly, quarterly, or annual) including a named-animal sponsorship programme; public Alpaca and Goat Experiences priced at £47.50 per group of up to six; product sales including £8.50 calendars; and grants from charitable trusts (Chapman Trust, Dedham Parochial Church Council, Palmers and Partners 500 Club, Colchester Children's Charity) that subsidise self-funder rates. The go-to-market is community- and referral-led: access to clinical services requires formal referral from social services, schools, SENCOs, GPs, OTs, support workers, or carers, followed by an initial £82.50-per-hour assessment. Core commissioning partners are Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council. The farm is intentionally closed to the general public. On-site sub-brands (Thrive Nature Adventures forest school, Chloe Moul Counselling) operate as independent tenants, extending the therapeutic ecosystem without direct headcount expansion.

Name

Dedham Therapy Farm

Legal name

Dedham Therapy Farm

Website

https://dedhamtherapyfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dedham Therapy Farm is a UK non-profit providing Animal-Assisted Intervention, ASDAN courses, and non-clinical occupational therapy on a 14-acre farm for children and young people aged 4-25 with additional needs, funded through session fees, local authority commissioning, and charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Farm Animal Veterinary Services (AFAEANAB)

Keywords

• Animal-assisted therapy
• Occupational therapy services
• Therapeutic farm services
• ASDAN education courses
• Non-clinical therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Therapeutic Session Fees: Fees charged for Animal-Assisted Intervention sessions, ASDAN courses, and occupational therapy assessments. Session fees vary by service type (one-to-one vs group), funding source (school vs self-funded), with subsidised rates available through charitable trusts.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Monthly, quarterly or annual donations from sponsors; animal sponsorship programme; proceeds from product sales (green hessian bags); donations through easyfundraising platform.
3. Community Experiences: Paid alpaca and goat experiences for families and individuals, priced at £47.50 per group of up to 6 people for 1.5 hour sessions.
4. Product Sales: Sale of merchandise including calendars (£8.50), strawberry plants, and other farm products to generate additional revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dedham Therapy Farm delivers Animal-Assisted Intervention and non-clinical Occupational Therapy assessments on a 14-acre farm in Dedham, Essex, alongside ASDAN short courses (Animal Care and Lifeskills Challenges) and community dog therapy visits. Services are led by HCPC and RCOT registered Occupational Therapists and are tailored for children and young people aged 4-25 with additional needs including anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, and phobias. The farm also offers paid public alpaca and goat experiences as a supplementary revenue-generating activity.

Product overview

Dedham Therapy Farm is a therapeutic service provider operating as a single unified service model, not a software platform. The core offering is Animal-Assisted Intervention complemented by ASDAN Short Courses (Animal Care and Lifeskills Challenges), Non-Clinical Occupational Therapy Assessments, and Community Sessions. Additional services include Chloe Moul Counselling and Thrive Nature Adventures (forest school), which operate as separate offerings on the site. The farm also runs public Alpaca & Goat Experiences as a revenue-generating activity. The portfolio is unified by an occupational therapy foundation, with all services tailored to children and young people aged 4-25 with barriers to daily living.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chloe Moul Counselling: A counselling service provided by Chloe Moul, who rents a summer house in the sheep meadow to provide children and young people a unique approach to therapy.
• Thrive Nature Adventures

Products and services

• Animal-Assisted Intervention Therapeutic sessions led by Occupational Therapists or OT Assistants involving farm and animal-based activities. Sessions are offered in blocks of 6-7 weeks, lasting 1-2 hours, and include tasks such as animal feeding, husbandry, dog walking, and gardening. Delivered to children and young people aged 4-25 with additional needs.
• ASDAN Short Courses Education courses delivered in partnership with ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), including the Animal Care Short Course and Lifeskills Challenges. Portfolio-based programmes range from 10-60 hours and provide accredited learning outcomes for children and young people.
• Non-Clinical Occupational Therapy Assessments Functional assessments conducted in a non-clinical farm environment. Includes home and education questionnaires, 5 one-hour farm therapy sessions, and a comprehensive occupational therapy report with recommendations. Offered at £450 for school-funded placements or £845 for the full assessment package.
• Community Sessions Dog therapy visits delivered to individuals or groups in community settings including homes, schools, hospitals, and community groups. Offers 6-week programmes or one-off wellbeing sessions with dog-based activities designed to reduce aggressive behaviour, improve self-esteem, social skills and provide sensory stimulation.
• Alpaca & Goat Experiences Public visitor experiences for groups of up to 6 people to spend time with alpacas and goats, including walking, feeding, grooming, and photo opportunities. Priced at £47.50 per group for 1.5-hour sessions and bookable via the BookWhen platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Help build confidence, independence and skills for life for children and young people with additional needs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hall Farm ShopminorOthersWorking mixed farm run by Barrie family since 1929. Supports Dedham Therapy Farm with sheep shearing and ongoing farming support. Donates profits from sale of green hessian bags to the farm.
• Dedham Vale Tree SurgeryminorOthersTree services company covering Colchester, Dedham, East Bergholt, Manningtree, and surrounding areas. Donates chippings to help keep pathways and activity areas dry.
• Knowles FleetminorOthersOutsourced transport management and car benefit schemes company. Donated towards purchase of three alpacas and continues to cover the cost of alpaca food bill. Team volunteer days planned for 2024.
• easyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable giving platform partnering with over 7,000 brands. Allows supporters to donate part of their shopping spend to Dedham Therapy Farm at no extra cost.
• Mole Country StoreminorOthersLocal feed stockist for Dedham Therapy Farm's animal feed. Accepts Mole E-gift cards as payment method for feed purchases.
• Thrive Nature AdventuresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForest school provider renting space on Dedham Therapy Farm site. Debbie runs forest school activities in meadow area welcoming families, groups, schools, young learners and adults.
• Chloe Moul CounsellingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent counsellor with masters in psychodynamic counselling, renting summer house in sheep meadow to provide children and young people's therapy services on site.
• ASDANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation charity and awarding organisation providing courses. Dedham Therapy Farm delivers Animal Care Short Courses and Lifeskills Challenges under ASDAN curriculum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Donkey Sanctuary: Large UK donkey welfare charity operating donkey-assisted activities and therapy programmes for vulnerable groups; broader remit but overlapping animal-assisted intervention model with established UK-wide reach.
• Wood Green, The Animals Charity: Large UK animal charity providing community education, rehoming and animal-assisted learning; overlapping on pet/animal-assisted education programmes and community outreach.
• Blue Cross: UK animal welfare charity offering pet bereavement support, education and community animal-assisted programmes; broader pet welfare portfolio but comparable charity-led therapeutic animal engagement.
• Dogs Trust: UK's largest dog welfare charity with community education and dog-assisted wellbeing programmes; broader remit and far larger scale, but overlaps on dog-assisted therapy and school outreach.

Emerging players

• The Horse Trust: UK equine welfare charity offering equine-assisted programmes and training for care professionals; narrower focus but directly comparable animal-facilitated therapeutic methodology.

Direct peers

• Pets As Therapy: UK national charity providing therapeutic animal visits (primarily dogs) to schools, hospitals and care settings — closest direct analogue as a charity-delivered animal-assisted intervention service with volunteer/professional referral channels.
• Riding for the Disabled Association: UK charity delivering equine-assisted therapy and learning sessions to children and adults with additional needs; comparable therapeutic-on-animal-farm model, though equine-focused, with similar LA and school referral channels.
• TheraPony: UK charity offering equine-facilitated therapy and learning for children and adults with disabilities and mental health needs; comparable in mission, target population (4–25 with additional needs) and referral-based delivery, though using horses rather than farm livestock.

Others

• ASDAN: UK education charity and awarding organisation that already partners with Dedham Therapy Farm to deliver Animal Care Short Courses and Lifeskills Challenges; relevant ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but comparable in serving the same SEN cohort.

Regional players

• Hopefield Animal Sanctuary: Essex-based animal sanctuary offering education and animal interaction experiences; regional peer operating in the same East of England catchment with overlapping animal-engagement programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dedhamtherapyfarm
• Instagraminstagram.com/dedhamtherapyfarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dedham-therapy-farm-cic

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dedham Therapy Farm