Like his father before him, Joseph is known to many in the industry for buying and selling rides via the family business JEA Manning & Sons International. He’s also a travelling showman, and his well-run fairgrounds are a popular fixture throughout the year at various sites in and around London. Both Joseph and his brother Scott were looking to diversify, but whereas Scott ended up on the South Coast at Fort Fun in Eastbourne, a traditional seaside amusement park, Joseph took on something a little closer to home, geographically at least.

Located at Brentwood in Essex, Old MacDonald's Farm, as it's now known, began life as farm as far back as 1355, but has operated as a visitor attraction since 1994. Though children loved visiting to see the animals, it wasn't, believed Joseph, the most exciting day out when he and his family first visited back in 2004. What excited them as much as the content was the farm's location - right alongside London's M25 orbital motorway.

“There's 40,000 cars pass here every day!“ notes eldest son Joseph Jnr. Such a large amount of passing trade convinced the Mannings of the site's potential and, after getting the money together, they took over the 16-acre site and reopened it in April 2005.

Having noted the success of other farms and small attractions around the country, and been particularly impressed with Sundown Park in Leicestershire, Joseph decided to continue down the same route at Old MacDonald's Farm.

A much wider selection of animals were introduced, including various rare breeds reflecting the farms of the world. Simple to understand ‘traffic light’ signage was implemented so children knew which animals they could or couldn't touch or feed, and a little more imagination was put into the displays. The goats, for example, must cross a bridge to get their food, creating a great focal point for the younger visitor.

A lot of money was spent erecting new animal enclosures, walkways and fencing, and some of the old farm buildings, which had become rotten, were dismantled or rebuilt. A 'mini FEC' was created by adding play equipment and a seating area in a barn alongside the café/gift ship, and this remains a popular meeting place for parents and kids when it's cold or wet outside.

New buildings are planned in the future too, which should create a bit more visibility from the M25. Planning regulations mean the Mannings can't exploit the roadside location as well as they'd like to, but a silage tower with a Friesian cow print on the side provides an arresting sight to passing motorists. At least the marketing budget here can be spent more wisely than on the fairs, where it has always has to be split up across multiple locations, in which you only ever have a week or two to make an impact.

At Old MacDonald's Farm guests are encouraged to “spend a day, not a fortune.” Admission is just £5.00 (€7.30) for kids, or £6.25 (€9.10) for adults, and this kind of pricing encourages plenty of repeat trade during the 363-day operational calendar.

When Park World called one chilly winter afternoon there was just a handful of families in attendance, sat inside the café or in the barn watching the automated Chick-A-Mation show ordered one year at IAAPA (two similar shows will arrive this year). This is not a labour-intensive operation, though it can get busy in the summer or during the special Halloween and Christmas events. In fact, there are plans this year to add a third car-parking area to cope with demand.

Most farm parks in the UK were started by farmers looking to diversify due to tough farming conditions. Getting into the amusement business was, for some, almost an accident, but nevertheless a subsection of the industry has been born and it now has its own trade association, the National Farm Attractions Network (NFAN - see panel over page).

Joseph makes no bones about the fact that he started out in the business from the very beginning. ”I'd like to think that we probably do run it a little more commercially than some farm parks because of our background,” he says.

Dotted around outside at Old MacDonald's Farm are various children's rides, which guests must buy a wristband to ride, but Joseph hasn't gone mad. All those he has added have an animal theme, and the animals themselves are still the star attraction. “The rides are more work than the animals, and you need more staff,” he highlights.

Animals are also a lot cheaper to buy or breed, but just as marketable as a ride. “We had a load of new lambs recently and the press coverage we got from them was unbelievable …and then we raise money by getting kids to adopt them!”

The obvious educational appeal the farm boasts is also good for business. “We find someone visits here with their family at the weekend, and then comes back a few weeks later with the whole school,” observes Joseph Jnr. As well as animal care, Mannings also intend to focus on renewable energy this year to hook in with the school curriculum.

It's been a learning curve for all involved. Joseph, his wife Sindy, and their three children, Joseph Jnr, Chanel and Clayton, all muck in on the farm.

“We've always grown up around rides and things, but dad's gone as far as he can in the fairground business,” believes Chanel. “This offers something different. People can come here and get in touch with nature, without the stress of queuing for rides.”

Located as it is within short commuting distance of Central London, Old MacDonald's Farm is the perfect antidote to city life. “A lot of people come here because they are sick of all the noise and the traffic in London. Many of them haven't even got their own gardens.”

Fun on the Farm

A report published by Defra, the British Department for Environment, Food and Regional Affairs, showed that almost half of all UK farm businesses are now 'diversified'. Beth Gowling of the National Farm Attractions Network explains why several farmers have chosen to open up their properties to the general public and in the process created a new subsection of the amusement industry.

Farmers have faced tough decisions about the future of their businesses in recent times. The Foot and Mouth Disease of 2001 affected the whole industry and highlighted a series of issues for the countryside, including the need to diversify and the importance of tourism to the rural economy. Now, with low prices for their produce and increasing legislation, more farmers have begun to move away from traditional farming and look at other ventures, such as changes in use of buildings, tourist accommodation, or creating a farm park. There are still many farmers entering the attractions market today.

Farm and rural attractions are full of different activities and facilities for the whole family, both indoor and outdoor, including play equipment, bouncy castles, farm trails, maize mazes, tractor and trailer rides, animal barns, coin-operated rides, jumping pillows, plus cafés and restaurants, gift shops, farm produce shops and craft centres.

Many have a great collection of both farm and non-domestic animals, allowing a hands-on experience, such as bottle-feeding lambs. Facilities for educational visits are very important, as many operators are keen to educate the public about where their food comes from.

NFAN member facilities range in visitors numbers from 10,000 to over 300,000 and admission prices can vary from £4 (€6) for a small park to £9 for a larger farm park.

Farm attractions appeal to the whole family; they're fun, they're low cost and most importantly they're educational, providing a good value day out. There are always new animals to see and learn about, new plants to view on the farm trails. With many farms now offering indoor play areas they become an all year round attraction.

The role of seasonal events is growing and they are very popular. Operators are focusing greatly on Halloween, Christmas and Easter, times of the year when they are able to draw a huge numbers of visitors. Enormous efforts are put into creating spectacular shows for visitors, enticing them to return year after year.

The farm attractions market is so diverse it's difficult to say whether they are in the same market as amusement parks. Some of the larger farms are more focused with rides and amusements and would definitely compare and compete with amusement parks. However, smaller farms that focus on educating their visitors about food and farming would consider themselves to be very different.

The rural leisure and tourism market has grown rapidly, and one of the National Farm Attractions Network's main aims is to raise this profile of this market to the public and to farmers to encourage further rural businesses to be established.

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