Maria Harle Amazing Animal Encounters

Maria Harle Amazing Animal Encounters Born and raised in rural Kent, Maria fell in love with wildlife and animals early on. Nature was respected and encouraged on her parent's smallholding and long before it became fashionable or mainstream to rewild, go organic or be sustainable, the gorgeous overgrown wildlife haven that was the farm they both worked on. Now a parent herself living in a shepherd's cottage on their smallholding in the Kentish Weald, Maria has been teaching her own children, and countless others, to love and respect animals and wildlife since 2005, when they started accepting unwanted animals into their home.  Amazing Animal Encounters was born to support pets in need leaving her job in youth work at the county council to concentrate on a new calling. From Maria I run Amazing Animal Encounters which provides uplifting, educational and therapeutic low risk animal experiences that are accessible for all and prioritise safety of the participant and the welfare of the animals. We focus on improving mental health, and providing services for SEN, the neurodivergent community and those with chronic and life limiting conditions. We work with groups and one on one, for organisations and for private individuals and families. In schools we provide educational workshops delivering animal welfare courses. Musical Menagerie the pre-school group is currently available to hire for groups. The animal encounters we run entirely fund my animal sanctuary which provides a loving family forever home for a range of animals from farm to domestic to exotic to rescue native wildlife. Our regular clients include KCC, behavioural needs schools, SEN schools and day centres, local primary and secondary schools, hospices and care homes. www.amazinganimalencounters.co.uk facebook.com/AmazingAnimalEncounters Instagram is @mobilemenagerie   To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk   For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com   Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music