Farm attraction tapped into 'passion in community'

Francis Acton, owner of the Acton Scott Estate, said the farm attraction "had a place in people's hearts".

A farm attraction which reopened last month, three years after closing, has said the passion of its volunteers has allowed its new lease of life.

Visitors have returned to Acton Scott Heritage Farm in Shropshire in recent weeks, with limited opening days through the remainder of the summer holidays.

It hopes to expand its offering next spring.

Chair of trustees Sarah Farquhar said: "We are able to attract large numbers of volunteers. We have found a passion within our community to step forward."

Chair of trustees Sarah Farquhar said the farm attraction was "an amazing asset for our community".

The attraction used to be run by Shropshire Council's museums service.

But after its closure in 2021 following an E-coli outbreak, the authority said a new way of operating needed to be found.

The council handed back its lease to the Acton family, which gathered volunteers to form a charitable trust.

Visits to the Shropshire attraction restarted in July

Ms Farquhar said: "We're definitely taking a gamble, but this is an amazing asset for our community, and we're not prepared to let it go."

Acton Scott, which featured in the BBC series Victorian Farm, was run as a council museum for 50 years before its closure, attracting generations of families and school trips.

Francis Acton, whose forebears have lived and farmed there for centuries, said it "had a place in people's hearts".

"It offers something different. We're not just a farm attraction, we offer an education to all visitors, whatever age they are," he added.