Farm visit is a great day out for the whole family

AS THE name suggests, there is plenty of animal life to enjoy at Amerton Farm.

Still, even this is varied – alongside the usual farmyard fare of cows, horses and ducks, there is a wildlife sanctuary housing a collection of more unusual creatures.

The British Wildlife Rescue Centre, which is located at Amerton Farm, provides care and rehabilitation for sick and injured wild animals and birds.

And when Louise Walker and her family paid a visit to Amerton in December, they found the farm offers much more than they expected. As well as a jewellery shop and on-site craft stores, there is also a play barn, a feature which Louise's three children were keen to test out.

"We went to Amerton Farm on a bank holiday in December so a couple of things weren't open," says 27-year-old Louise. "It was too cold for the train to run and there is pottery painting available which we wanted to test out but it was closed. However, other than that everything was open.

"It took us about half an hour to get there from Hanley and when we arrived, we went to the British Wildlife Rescue Centre. It's not very big but they have a lot of different animals and birds. You can pay 30p for a pot of food to feed the swans, geese, ducks and chickens.

"It cost £1.50 per child and £2 per adult plus 30p for a big tub of food. I think because it was out of season we only paid £5 for all of us and the food."

After exploring the rescue centre, Louise, her husband Chris and the children – seven-year-old Josh, Mitchell, aged five, and two-year-old Kaitlin – moved on to a separate farm area.

"After seeing the animals at the rescue centre we went and looked around a small farmyard where they have a couple of tractors for children to play on," says Louise, of Greydawn Road, Hanley. "They also have some goats, a pig, two horses, a Shetland pony, two calves, ducks and hens. They were very tame and let the children stroke them which was nice as they usually run away.

"There are cleaning facilities for you to clean your hands after touching the animals which are at child height as well."

Next on the agenda was lunch and, with a bakery and tea room, the Walkers found there was plenty to choose from.

"There is a lovely tea room inside one of the shops and a bakery," says Louise. "They also have a shop that sells local produce from the farm and food is available in the play barn as well.

"We bought some pies and sausage rolls from the bakery and some food and drinks from the play barn. It cost less then £10 for all five of us which isn't bad."

Most popular of all was Windmill Farm Play Barn, an indoor adventure play area with bouncy castles, climbing frames and a rope bridge. Although there is a 1.4 metre height restriction, there is a fenced off section specifically designed for babies and toddlers.

"It cost £2.75 per child and they can play as long as they want. They have a small section for under 18 months which is all fenced off with a gate.

"The play area is well thought-out and we will be going back again. They also do a yearly pass for the play barn which costs £24.99 for your first child and £19.99 per child after that which I think is good value.

"Overall we had a really good day. I would definitely recommend Amerton Farm."