Camden children will continue to be able to sample a taste of country life in the heart of the city after it was announced Kentish Town City Farm will get an extra �120,000.

The grant, which will be spread over the next three years, is in addition to core funding, but still represents a drop in funding for the animal retreat.

The attraction in Cressfield Close is the country’s oldest city farm and is home to pigs, sheep, chickens and horses and has a riding club.

Kelly Smith, a year one teacher at Gospel Oak Primary School in Gordon House Road, said the farm is an “oasis” for her pupils.

She said: “It gives them close contact with animals which some of the children don’t get anywhere else.

“Our school takes a lot of pupils who will never have gone to the countryside, and this is a little oasis for them.

“It allows kids to be kids and muck in. They absolutely love it. They can talk about things they aren’t normally allowed to talk about, like pooh.

“It would have been really sad if children couldn’t visit there anymore.”

A Camden Council spokeswoman said: “It an exceptional resource in one of the most deprived areas of Camden. But with budgetary pressures we have to help them become more independent in the future.

“This funding is to help move it to a more independent model and explore ways of income generation.”