Clemmie the Calfacorn is brought to life!

joe and excel holding the winning design

25 July 2023

Farmer Joe Dugdale, from Crathorne Farm Dairy launched an exciting competition inviting local children to design his new milk bottle, offering the winning entrant and their class a visit to his farm to meet the calves, celebrate with milkshakes and even arranged free transport to and from the school, kindly sponsored by Coatham Coaches.

Joe explains “It is so great to be able to give children the opportunity to get out into the countryside and learn where their food comes from and designing our new milk bottle for customers seemed like a wonderful way in which to engage more children.”

Joe collaborated with Jane Corbett, the Teesside Farm Discovery Coordinator for The Country Trust, an educational charity connecting primary school children from areas of high social and economic disadvantage to the land through free food, farming and countryside experiences.

Children were invited to bring the mythical ‘Clemmie the calfacorn’ to life through their artwork, a mischievous half-cow, half-unicorn! Joe and Jane were overwhelmed with the response, and after receiving over two hundred entrants Joe finally chose the winning design by year 2 pupil, Excel, from Reid Street Primary School in Darlington.

After visiting Joe’s farm, class teacher, Charlotte Melloy reflected on the experience, “We all really enjoyed the trip. It was also a huge benefit for parents to not pay transport costs as this is often a barrier for us. This was an opportunity our children would not usually get and their enthusiasm and learning about farming has continued in the classroom for weeks since our visit, we cannot thank famer Joe and Jane enough.”

Joe and Jane visited Reid Street Primary School last week after a slight delay in production to present Excel with her winning milk bottle design in front of the class. “I was so excited to win” enthused Excel, “And the chocolate milkshake was so delicious!”

Country Trust Farm Discovery Coordinator, Jane, who has worked alongside Joe delivering school visits to Grange Farm in Crathorne for the past two years explained “I jumped at the chance when Joe asked if I would promote his competition to the schools in which I work alongside. It has been such a heartwarming project. Reid Street Primary School has no direct access to green space so for them to visit Joe’s farm meet the cows, explore the countryside and run in fields are magic moments that many of the children would not normally experience.”