The Open Farm Sunday (OFS) movement wants farmers to capitalise on the public’s growing interest in the provenance of food by welcoming visitors on June 27.
Annabel Shackleton, the manager of the annual event, predicted more people than ever would want to visit a farm this summer as demand for staycations and trips to the countryside increase.
“This year we are seeing more people spending time in the great outdoors and cooking from scratch, and there is a genuine interest across society to learn about where food comes from, the work farmers do and how the countryside is managed,” she said.
“We want to encourage as many farmers as possible to get involved with the confidence they can manage their events safely.”
To help farmers prepare for visitors, OFS has appointed a network of ambassadors who have experience in organising on-farm events. In Scotland the contact is Rebecca Dawes who has been involved with the event for five years.
The ambassadors will host three online farmer meetings which will be open to anyone interested in taking part in the June event. Experienced hosts who are looking for new ideas for their farms will also be welcome.
The “top tip” sessions will take place on zoom on Monday May 10 between 19.30 – 20.30pm, May 12 from 1230-13.30, and on May 14 from 0800-0900.
Ambassadors are also recording a series of short videos to help farmers prepare for the public. Topics covered will include how to create a hand-washing station, using a ticketing system to manage numbers and the flow of visitors, as well as communications support and creative activity ideas.
The videos will be available on the Farm Sunday website together with a range of other free resources.