New Seasonal Opening Hours
Peak District Dairy and Sheep Farm attracts new Wildlife
Located right on the edge of the Peak District national park, is a working farm famous for its own ice cream, made from the farm’s own milk!
The family run farm is now in its third generation, is run by Marshall Waller. The farm is very much a family business – Marshall runs the farm alongside his wife, mother, father and his sister. The farm is classified as an upland farm, the hills providing a home to 400 sheep and the lower pasturelands being home to 60 cows and 40 egg laying hens.
As well as the delicious farm-produced ice cream, home-made cakes and sandwiches, the farm is a member of the national charity LEAF, attracting up to 20,000 visitors each year. LEAF helps farmers produce good, quality food with care for the environment, whilst working with their local community. LEAF encourages farmers to combine the best of modern technology with the best traditional practices for the benefit of the environment and the food that is produced.
After reading about LEAF two years ago, Marshall contacted the charity to find out more about how he could get involved. Blaze Farm was already implementing many of the techniques approved by LEAF’s scheme but Marshall wanted to open the farm up to the public, as a way of forging better links. He knew that handling visitors would be a challenge, whilst keeping the farm running.
Through the LEAF membership, Marshall has been able to turn the farm business into an educational platform and today receives 20,000 visitors a year. The farm has been approved by the Countryside Education Visits Accreditation Scheme and is now visited by many schoolchildren as part of their curricular activities.
They, alongside the general public, can enjoy a number of initiatives which the farm has implemented to attract wildlife onto the farm, whilst encouraging rare species plants.
An ‘H’ shaped farm trail has been created to give the public a glimpse of some of the rare plants and animals that are attracted onto the farm.- A traditional meadow has been created and rare plants such as moonwort and birdsfoot trefoil can be found.
- An area of wetland has been specially created, where visitors can find adders tongue fern.
- Two ponds have been created and attract many wild ducks and frogs.
- Work has started on maintaining and restoring the dry sandstone walls which date back to the 1800’s.
- A quarter of an acre of new trees have been planted including oak and ash as well as seedlings.
The farm has recently started to cross breed their Holstein Fresian with an old fashioned breed and the milk that is not used to make the ice cream goes to the Manchester milk depots.
There is also a lamb viewing area and during lambing season, 700 lambs are born. The farm also holds sheep shearing events for visitors, with demonstrations and talks given on the different kinds of wool.
There are various different decorative hens including Swiss Appalzen and peacocks. Their eggs are used to make the cakes served in the tea room.
Blaze Farm will be joining hundreds of other farms around the country to open its doors to the public on Open Farm Sunday on 1 June 2008. Visitors to the farm can expect guided tours to the milking parlour (not normally open to the public) alongside farm trails and other activities.
