Hastings couple transform Sussex visitor attraction

Donna Bull and Ray Grant have already invested heavily to boost Sharnfold Farm, situated at Stone Cross between Hailsham and Eastbourne.

Recent improvements include a totally renovated coffee shop, while the lambs have now arrived for the summer holidays.

They are pleased with how the first 12 months have gone and now aim to increase the farm’s appeal to customers of all ages.

Attractions include a farm shop where all the products are farm grown or sourced locally; a new coffee shop; a farm trail and play area for youngsters, including a tractor, slide, swings and a secure garden; animals to see, including pigs, sheep, cows, lambs, cattle, chicken and goats; a fishing lake and caravan site

Donna said: “Sharnfold Farm is an extremely popular place to visit, not just during the summer but all year round. We like to think we attract people from a 45-mile radius and we are only half an hour away for visitors from Hastings and 1066 Country.

“You can come here for just a short visit or you can spend up to half a day here or perhaps even more as there is so much to do.”

“Now the school holidays are here, we see more families with young children coming from all over east Sussex but we really want our appeal to be as wide as possible.”

Donna said: “Our coffee shop has had a complete makeover, and the floor is now five times the size that it was.

We have revamped the menu and built a large new patio area outside. We are delighted with how it looks now.

“Once life gets more back to normal, we want to offer it out as a place to have parties, weddings and other events.

“Our shop is so popular because so much of what we sell is locally sourced and also because we bring in fresh fruit and vegetables daily.

“We sell high end honey and jam as well as quality cakes and biscuits.

“And most of what we sell at the butchers is meat reared here on our farm.

“We are doing our bit to reduce carbon footprint and our policy is to keep everything local, and we are proud of that.”

The couple have some exciting plans for the future.

These include creating an enchanted forest, including pixies, fairies in trees and a complete fairy village, and a bigger farm with more crowd-pleasing animals

Donna said: “We always strive to be family friendly but we also want to attract people of all ages for some of our offerings.”

Go to www.sharnfoldfarm.co.uk.