Barleylands Farm Centre
Barleylands
Farm Centre and Craft Village in Billericay has recently officially opened
Phase III of a development project that was part-funded with a £496,000
Government grant and work is well ahead of schedule. Building work for the £1.5 million project
began in early 2006 and by the time it is finished in spring
2008 it aims to
create over 40 jobs and safeguard nearly 50 more. The grant was
given under the England Rural Development Programme
by the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the European Agricultural Guidance
and Guarantee Fund.
The third phase of the development work has involved the building and creation of The Hive restaurant, a new station for the miniature railway and 24 new craft workshops at Barleylands, meaning it will be an even bigger draw for visitors. The vision for the site is that it will reconnect people with the countryside and rural issues. Many of the craftspeople demonstrate traditional rural crafts and sell the items that they make, and in The Hive at least 60% of all the food has been locally sourced. Visitors can also buy a selection of locally produced fresh produce in the Hive that they can take away to cook at home, a welcome addition to the fortnightly Farmers Markets at Barleylands, which are always popular. At the Grand Opening of Phase III at the beginning of July, MEP Jeffrey Titford presented some of the Farm Centre staff with a VAQAS Award, which officially shows that Barleylands is a Quality Assured Visitor Attraction. Around 770 attractions throughout England from London Eye and The Tower of London, to the National Bubble Car Museum and Mersea Island Museum participate in VAQAS. Only those attractions that have been assessed by Visit Britain and meet the standard receive the quality marqué that was presented to the staff at Barleylands. It is the sign of a ‘Quality Assured Visitor Attraction’ which means that visitors to the site can be confident they will have a good day out.
The farm is also CEVAS accredited (Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme), which means that schools can visit safe in the knowledge that the health and safety on site is good, and that their visit will be relevant to the work they are doing in the classroom. For over 20 years the Philpot family who own the farm has hosted school visits to the farm and part of the current project has involved the expansion of the education services offered. The farm now has an Education Room, which opened in March this year, and employs a full-time Education Officer. More than 2,500 school children have visited since last April and the numbers are set to rise with the opening of the museum later on this year. The Barleylands Discovery Centre will display vintage farm machinery and other objects depicting rural life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All activities and displays will be linked to the National Curriculum and there will be a strong focus on local history and helping people to find out more about where their food comes from.