“A Farm Like This Doesn’t Just Grow Food - It Grows People”

Ouseburn Farm turns 50 next year. Through all that time, the city farm in the heart of Newcastle has been home to goats, pigs, chickens, bees, and thousands of people who’ve found a place to belong. From its radical beginnings in the 1970s to its role today as a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, difficulties, and autism, the farm has always been about more than animals and vegetables.

We speak to Katie, its manager, about the farm’s history, its future, and the power of community.

Words by Katie Bates

Photography by Christopher Owens

Walk through the gates of Ouseburn Farm and you’ll hear goats bleating, bees buzzing, and children laughing. It’s part visitor attraction, part sanctuary, and part community hub, but above all, it’s a place people feel they belong. Its story began in 1976, when a group of parents in Byker created a space in the Ouseburn Valley for children to connect with the natural world. Nearly five decades later, the farm has grown into a city landmark, and a charity at the heart of the community.

For Katie, who has managed the farm since 2024, the important thing is holding onto that sense of purpose.

“We’re here because people need us,” she says. “Animals are part of it, of course, but really, this place is about people. It’s about creating somewhere people can be accepted and where they can feel proud of what they’ve achieved.”

“For some of the adults we work with, this is the first place they’ve been trusted to take responsibility. You see the pride when someone says, ‘I looked after that goat today,’ or when they sell plants they’ve grown. It’s powerful.”

That focus is clearest in the farm’s daily workshops, where adults with additional needs learn everything from animal care to gardening to cooking. “Every day is different,” Katie says. “One moment someone’s learning to make a meal from farm produce, the next they’re helping muck out the cow pen. But what’s consistent is the impact, people grow in confidence here.”

“For some of the adults we work with, this is the first place they’ve been trusted to take responsibility. You see the pride when someone says, ‘I looked after that goat today,’ or when they sell plants they’ve grown. It’s powerful.”

Katie joined at a time of both challenge and opportunity. The farm had weathered tough years, including the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Visitor donations, grants, and shop sales keep the gates open, but funding is always precarious. “Like a lot of charities, we’re juggling,” she says. “But the thing that keeps us strong is our community. People feel this farm belongs to them.”

“Our animals don’t judge, and the gardens move at their own pace, giving people the time and space they need. That’s why the farm is so important to so many.”

That sense of ownership has been there since the beginning. Local families built the farm from scratch in the 1970s, transforming a patch of post-industrial land into a space for kids to meet animals and learn about the environment. Over the decades, the farm has reinvented itself several times, but it has always returned to that principle: connection.

“It’s not just nostalgia,” Katie explains. “The 50th anniversary is a chance to look forward as much as back. We want to celebrate the stories of everyone who’s been part of the farm, and also think about how we’ll be here for the next 50 years.”

“If you strip it back, this place is radical. It says: everyone deserves access to nature, everyone has something to give, and communities can build things that last. Visitors often tell us they leave feeling calm and happy, which feels especially important now in a popular area like Ouseburn, where developers are keen to monopolise any available green space.”

In practice, that means new projects. Katie is leading plans to reclaim part of the old lead works at the edge of the site, transforming it into a nature reserve. “It’s a forgotten space, really,” she says. “But it has incredible potential - a hidden piece of the valley’s heritage that could become a haven for wildlife and a place for people to connect with the natural world.”

“It’s definitely not a corporate job. That’s what I love about it. It’s real, it can be messy, it all matters.”

The anniversary offers an opportunity to tell the farm’s story more widely. Katie and the team are planning heritage projects, exhibitions, events, and even a colouring book to mark the milestone. “We’ll be gathering people’s memories,” she says. “There are generations of families who’ve come here, kids who visited in the 90s are now bringing their own children. That continuity is special.”

“Our animals don’t judge, and the gardens move at their own pace, giving people the time and space they need. That’s why the farm is so important to so many. In our latest survey, visitors told us that after a visit they overwhelmingly feel ‘calm’ and ‘happy’.”

“It’s about creating somewhere people can be accepted and where they can feel proud of what they’ve achieved.”

For Katie, managing the farm is a mix of strategy and mucking in. Some days are spent in board meetings discussing funding; others involve chasing escaped sheep down the yard. “It’s definitely not a corporate job,” she laughs. “That’s what I love about it. It’s real, it can be messy, it all matters.”

Looking ahead, she’s clear about the vision: a farm that continues to change lives while remaining rooted in its community. “The farm has always been shaped by the people who care about it. That’s what’s kept it going for 50 years, and that’s what will keep it going for the next 50.”

Katie’s passion for the farm and the North East is obvious. She talks about the valley itself - once industrial, now a hub of creativity and community: as a symbol of renewal. “Ouseburn has always been about change, from shipyards to artists’ studios to the farm we see today. What we’re doing is part of that story: giving people a place to belong while looking after the animals and the land.”

The lesson is simple but powerful: when people gather around animals, nature, and each other, they create something extraordinary. And in 2026, Ouseburn Farm will celebrate half a century of doing exactly that.

Connect Katie Bates

Learn More Ouseburn Farm