CARLDANTON HOLSTEINS
EMERGE FROM DIVERSIFICATION Starting from nothing, the Open Farm at Smithills has allowed Anthony Grimshaw to afford to get back in to cows, where his true love is, as Katie Davidson found out
unning the second largest visitor attraction in Bolton alongside the Carldanton Holstein herd has meant thinking outside of the box for Anthony Grimshaw, who opened Smithills Open Farm in May 2001 having sold off the Holstein herd in autumn 2000 when a family partnership was dissolved.
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When Anthony first took the farm over he initially took horses on livery to generate an income and six months down the line as the severity of foot- and-mouth disease eased off in May 2001, half of the farm was opened up with donkeys, chickens and anything that wasn’t cloven hooved. “Having to start from nothing it took time to build up and the first year 3500 visitors came through the doors between May and September. We took more horses in on livery taking numbers up to 40 and they created a regular income for us in the early days. As the popularity of the farm grew, plans were set to expand and in 2007 the horses went and the stables were taken down to allow access to the whole farm,” explains Anthony. “We have to take the open farm into consideration when making every management decision. However, with visitor numbers doubling year on year, it makes the added hassle worthwhile.”
Significant expansion and the conversion of suitable farm buildings has seen a calf shed converted in to the main entrance; the original parlour and dairy renovated in to a cafe and another calf shed converted in to the party rooms to seat up to 100 children for lunches. An indoor play area
40 THE JOURNAL OCTOBER 2014
with bouncy castles and toy tractors fills an old silage pit while the cubicle house is home to a selection of animals and the petting corner.
Managed by son Carl and his partner Louise, the Open Farm is now open 362 days a year from 10am to 5pm, only shutting on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Last year an impressive 90,000 visitors came through the gates making it the second most popular tourist attraction in Bolton, second to The Macron Stadium (originally Reebok Stadium).
As the business has progressed, so has the family’s marketing initiatives, with traditional advertising methods now playing a secondary role to social media
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