Counting blessings – and not chickens
SUCCESSFUL WHITEHOUSE FARM’S BIG MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY
Environment Reporter A FARM which switched from chickens to delighting children has celebrated a milestone anniversary.
Once one of the region’s largest egg producers, Whitehouse Farm Centre, near Morpeth, has developed into one of Northumberland’s leading visitor attractions, pulling in more than 100,000 people annually.
And the centre held a two-day party to celebrate 20 years in business.
In 1997, following the salmonella crisis and with their egg sales badly hit, Keith and Sheila Slater could have faced financial ruin.
Instead, they opened a small farm park to teach visitors, particularly children, about farming life.
From a poultry farm once given over to thousands of chickens, Whitehouse Farm’s animal population has grown year on year, with a zoo licence granted in 2008.
The 40-acre centre now has snakes and other reptiles, meerkats, skunk, marmosets, deer, wallabies, owls and parrots, alongside the more typical farm animals and rare breeds.
Developments have included upgrading the Animal Barn, extending the Reptile House and improving animal housing to add several new species including skinny pigs, hognose snakes, a blue-tongued skink, an Australian water dragon, a Brazilian black tarantula and a flat rock scorpion.
During the winter, the farm refurbished its cafe and this year has launched the Whitehouse Farm Kitchen along with a new indoor play area.
The centre employs more than 50 staff, works closely with many local suppliers and traders and welcomes pupils on regular school educational farm visits.
Karen Lovatt, operations director, said: “To have been in business for 20 years is a huge milestone for any business.
“If things had gone differently and Keith and Sheila had not had the idea and vision to diversify, the poultry farm may have closed before the visitor centre was even opened.
“We later had to survive the horrendous experience of foot-and-mouth disease in the region in 2001, which took a massive financial toll as we could not even open our doors for a period.
“When Defra granted us permission to re-open, we could not go straight back to normal as many restrictions had to be put in place to allow us to operate.
“Then there was the financial crash
If things had gone differently the poultry farm may have closed before the visitor centre was even opened Karen Lovatt
of 2008, when people were understandably having to tighten their belts and rein in on nonessentials like family days out.
“We have survived despite these major challenges, and now we are thrilled to be welcoming a new generation to the farm, many of whom were first brought by parents or teachers as children themselves.” For more information on Whitehouse Farm and updates on the 20th anniversary activities, visit www. whitehousefarmcentre. co.uk. Whitehouse Farm Centre is just south of Morpeth off the A1.