Go Fund Me campaign saves Chipping Norton's Fairytale Farm - and it reopens this weekend

The family farm has managed to survive only because of a crowdfunding effort and the huge generosity of Chipping Norton residents and strangers who wanted the venue to survive.

Proprietor Nick Laister said: "The last three months have been the most difficult since Fairytale Farm opened in 2013.

"We closed our doors on March 21 and have not welcomed a single visitor since then. We had no income to pay for feeding our animals, farriers, hay, water and veterinary treatment, as well as all the other essential animal care jobs.

"We have managed to survive thanks to donations to our GoFundMe campaign by our visitors, local Chipping Norton residents and even people who have never visited us before. It shows how valued the farm is within our community and has given us the incentive to keep going no matter how tough things have been," he said.

While lockdown has continued, Fairytale Farm has been busy working on various projects, all of which had been started before the closure. And Mr Laister and his wife Nicola are hoping their visitors will like them.

"In Fairy Dell you can meet our all-new Weather Fairy and find out how she can magically tell you what the weather is," said Mr Laister.

"Designed and built by leading UK sculptor Andrew Blake towards the end of 2019, she has now been revealed for the first time in all her glory and this beautiful creation is sure to bring a smile."

"In Alfie and Friends Animal Zone we have created a whole new area for our ducks and geese, with an enlarged pond and duck house on an island. Animal-lovers can also marvel at our unique new turkey house, built out of recycled plastic bottles and we also have some new arrivals to the farm - two beautiful peafowl, one male peacock and a peahen."

"But the biggest and most spectacular new attraction is in Jack's Yard, just as you enter the farm. We planted some magic beans at Christmas and our visitors will not be able to miss what has grown, right by the entrance to our magical Enchanted Walk. You won’t have seen anything like this before. You can also milk Jack’s cow, Daisy, and if you are lucky, you will hear her moo."

Mr Laister said he and his wife hope the community will continue to offer support as they rebuild their business.

"It is going to be a number of years before we can get back to where we were before Coronavirus, but we are determined to make it through," he said.

The farm has has had to change the way it operates in line with government guidance and for the foreseeable future will only be accepting online ticket bookings: "

We are taking a number of measures to protect the safety of our visitors and staff, including operating a one-way route around the farm, introducing regular hand sanitisers points and installing protective screens at all tills. We are also restricting the number of tickets available and these can only be purchased by booking your arrival slot online, to ensure that the farm does not get overcrowded."

The main play equipment in the Huff & Puff Adventure Playground will be closed as required by government and the farm will not be holding animal petting sessions. However, the Beanstalk Cafe will be open and serving ‘grab and go’ food from outside, which visitors can eat in the outdoor picnic areas.

Mr Laister said: "Having missed a large part of the main season - including the Easter holidays and May half-term - we hope that people will want to enjoy the open spaces of Fairytale Farm and meet our amazing animals.

"Online tickets are being sold at a ten per cent discount but slots are limited and are on a first come, first served basis. No tickets are available at the entrance, so please do not turn up if you haven’t booked your slot."

More information about Fairytale Farm's additional safety measures can be found here. The location is in Southcombe, Chipping Norton.