Tatton’s Home Farm animals will be wriggling into their Sunday best for Harvest Festival weekend.
This annual festival, one of the Farm’s favourites, is a fantastic way to mark the end of summer and celebrate another successful season.
The farm has many things to be thankful for so far this year including the birth of 20 piglets, 60 lambs and 10 calves. Their farming year has also seen the arrival of their new Buff Orpington chickens and Brecon Buff geese not forgetting all the crops to be thankful for, a barn full of hay and a large crop of maize to help feed the animals through the coming winter months.
The Festival takes place on Saturday September 19 and Sunday September 20 when visitors will be invited to come along and join in. For those with pets it’s an opportunity to have them blessed at a special harvest blessing on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm, accompanied by the Preston Brook Brass Band. Local minister Jackie Betts will give thanks for the season and bless the beloved farm animals.
A number of special activities take place during the weekend, including sheep racing with this year’s dynamic racing team of Bumble, Bee, Buzz, Honey and Beastie. The sheep have been delighting farm visitors with this daily event and it has certainly been a close run competition.
Throughout the weekend visitors will also be able to see traditional spinning displays and take part in a number of harvest related craft activities, including making corn dollies and scarecrows and Harvest story time with local story teller Elizabeth Morris.
The Cheshire Guild of Woodturners will also demonstrate traditional skills of pole lathing and wood-turning and the traction engine will be running and on display.
Farm manager Jayne Chapman said “Harvest is a very special event, a time to say thank you for all our new arrivals and celebrate all our hard work throughout the year. We can now sleep easier knowing we have a barn full of crops.”
Harvest Festival at the Farm
Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 from noon to 5pm (last entry 4pm). Normal farm admission and Park entry charges apply.
Home Farm opening times and prices
The farm is open for high season (until October 26, 2015) Tuesday to Sunday from noon-5pm (last entry 4pm). The remainder of the year the farm opens weekends 11am – 4pm (last entry 3pm).
Prices for single attraction entry: adult £6, child £4 (aged four to 15 years of age), family £16 (two adults and up to three children).
Totally Tatton Ticket (entry to three attractions: mansion, gardens and farm): Adult £11, child (aged 4 to 15) £5.50, family (two adults and up to three children) £27.50. National Trust members pay 50% entry to the farm. Park entry charge of £5 per car applies to all.
