Farm Stay UK puts £3.5 billion into the rural economy

Over the past 30 years, £3.5 billion has been added to the rural economy as a result of guests staying on farm locations through Farm Stay UK.

L- R Andy Woodward, Barbara Sleep and James Berresford

Through continual farm diversification of its 1,000 members who have developed new accommodation experiences such as shepherd’s huts, eco-lodges, woodland hideaways, hay-bale houses and imaginative conversions of redundant farm buildings, Farm Stay UK’s members have grown the farm accommodation sector through ingenuity, investment and innovation.

Thirtieth Anniversary celebrations began this week with a Kent Farmhouse Breakfast event attended by James Berresford, CEO of VisitEngland, who was welcomed by Farm Stay UK’s Chief Executive Andy Woodward. Also in attendance were chefs, local food producers, representatives of Visit Kent and members of Farm Stay UK.

Andy Woodward comments: “Thirty years ago, when we launched as the Farm Holiday Bureau with the help of Farmers Weekly, we could have only dreamed of becoming the organisation we are today. We’ve welcomed new members each year and started our 30th year with 450,000 visits to our new website – it is a wonderful feeling knowing that this are potentially 450,000 pairs of feet through farm gates, each visitor helping to put money back into the rural economy and in turn helping the farming industry to survive. More and more of our members are looking ahead to offer unique experiences, putting them in a much better position to not simply survive, but flourish.”

VisitEngland’s Chief Executive James Berresford said: “Congratulations to Farm Stay UK on their 30th anniversary and for making such a valuable contribution to the rural economy. With new members, a great new website and its reputation for a fantastic full English breakfast, I’m sure Farm Stay will be successful for many more years to come.”