‘Theme park’ is proving an education

Choosing Towthorpe Grange, at Strensall near York, they now run a mixed use livestock and horticultural farm.

However, the holding has been far more famous in recent years for the Farmer’s Cart farm shop that sits on the site. Home to a farm shop, butchery, baker’s and cafe, the shop has proved a roaring success since being established, selling wares from the farm as well as from a plethora of famed and not-so-famed Yorkshire producers.

In the past year, however, the Sykes have broadened their ambitions and set up Piglets, which they describe as an ‘adventure farm park’.

Featuring a number of agricultural-related attractions, including a petting area and a nature trail around the farm, the new park has proved a massive success.

It re-opens its doors for the summer this weekend with the family hoping that the delightful weather seen so far will continue.

“The value of education is massive”, said Mrs Sykes. “It is a day out for the family granted but it also gives them the chance to learn about where their food comes from and how we as farmers produce it.”

The Sykes take the educational side of things so seriously that they even employ someone to look after it for them, with Ruth Marlein doing a lot of work with school groups throughout the year.

The move has proved a successful one but was borne from necessity rather than initiative.

The farm today is a massive change from the Sykes’ original farm at Church Fenton, North Yorkshire.

There the Sykes ran a pig herd, alongside growing lettuces for supermarkets and running a pick-your-own strawberry offering.

However, all was not well at the time.

“The pig price was not very good,” Mrs Sykes said. “We were getting the same lettuce price for five years in a row. But we had always had success with the pick-your-own strawberries. We felt out of everything we were doing this was an area in which we could grow.”

This notion that they could work more closely with the public and interact more with their customers came as their son, Edward, went off on his travels to Canada.

A graduate of Newcastle University, he spent part of his studies abroad and it was in Canada where he witnessed a high-quality farm shop in operation. The shop was set up to celebrate events like Halloween and had a strong customer base. It was from there that the genesis of what is now the Farmer’s Cart was born.

Today, Edward is in charge of the farm shop, sourcing food from across Yorkshire. During my visit the shop is packed with people doing their weekly shop – the very model of how successful a farm shop can be if managed properly.

“We decided to step up to the farm shop. It took two years to get planning permission due to the aftermath of Foot and Mouth disease.”

Mrs Sykes acknowledges that the location, close to the A64, is perfect for their needs.

“The land is brilliant for farming, we have all types of soil from clay soil to sandy soil, a good potato growing area and a good carrot growing area.

“Moreover the location for the farm shop itself is just great – we’re in a really good spot.”

The farm itself is 150 acres, home to a variety of vegetable crops. At Towthorpe Grange you will find growing throughout the year at some stage lettuce, onions, carrots, broccoli, radishes, asparagus, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, strawberries and pumpkins.

As well as the fruit and vegetables, Towthorpe Grange is home to Aberdeen Angus cattle and some Gloucester Allspots pigs, the meat from which is sold through the shop and butchered by their own in-house team.

Indeed, animals could be seen wandering around the driveway leading up to the shop’s doors until very recently.

New regulations introduced following the e-coli outbreak at a farm in Surrey, however, have meant that these animals have now had to be moved elsewhere on the farm.

It was from this end that the idea for the dedicated mini-theme park area was born. During my visit a baby rabbit was born in the petting area and a host of other animals are available for the visiting children.

The whole operation is now so successful that it is providing employment for around 40 people, a big boost to the local economy.

From last year, the family decided to make the most of the variety of wildlife.

As well as a nature trail and the chance to see animals up close, young visitors can also play on a variety of play equipment in the yard.

Last summer proved very successful and the family hope to build on this during 2012, with part of the adventure park having an Olympic theme to acknowledge the London games.

Mrs Sykes said: “Our customers appreciate what we do and that is the reward that we get.”

The Sykes are now also hoping to bring in a farm park manager to oversee the day-to-day running so they can focus on growing the business instead.

The farm also does work with Askham Bryan College, recently bringing in arboriculture apprentices from the college who have been helping the farm to create the educational nature trail.

The trail incorporates native trees and hedgerow to allow the schoolchildren to find out more about the British countryside and the wildlife that inhabits it.

The trail will include a pond area, a section which illustrates habitats of birds and insects, a willow walk and a cross-section of a badgers’ sett.

Fourteen apprentices, under the guidance of arboricultural apprenticeships leader James Stacey, have planted the mixed woodland to enhance the farm’s existing woodland areas.

Mrs Sykes said: “The nature trail will help to show the children other aspects of the countryside, such as wildlife.

“We have deer and badgers on the farm and, while they are unlikely to spot them, we hope that they will be able to see some of our many species of wild birds and that we can help them to understand how wildlife lives side by side with farming.”

For more information on the Farmers Cart or the Piglets adventure park visit www.farmerscart.co.uk

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