Where It Began
The Park family took on the tenancy of Low Sizergh Farm from The National Trust in 1980. Three generation of the family now work in the business. Life on the farm continues to be a passion and an inspiration for all of us.
Low Sizergh Barn: from fruit to fame!
In the mid 1980s dairy farmers received the news that milk quotas were to be introduced, Mum and Dad (John and Marjorie) reacted with a diversification plan to offset the impact of the limitations. Low Sizergh Farm opened its gates as a Pick Your Own Strawberry business.
Since then the farm has changed dramatically and now leads the way in farm retailing, dairy herd management and social enterprise. The Farm Shop opened in 1991 and a year later the Tea Room followed. In 2000 the Pick Your Own business was wound up and organic production took over, two years later Low Sizergh Barn was fully organic. In the same year the farm trail opened.
In November 2010 change came to the farm once again as we dropped our organic standards and reverted to conventional milk production. The decision was carefully considered by us all and based on a combination of factors including difficult growing conditions, the economy, 2 price reductions for our organic milk, and investment made in the last few years. Our cows, hens, sheep and pigs are all still at the farm for all to see, as they have for the past 19 years.
3 hectares of the site are dedicated to Growing Well a social enterprise that provides horticulture training, educational visits, and continues to grow organic produce whilst supporting people recovering from mental health issues. It’s this enterprise that produces the farm fresh vegetables delivered straight from the fields to your family whilst also running a crop share scheme in the locality.
A family farm
The popularity of the site is rooted in the philosophy that the Park family communicates to every visitor – a properly run farm can enrich the lives and environment of the whole community and secure a vibrant rural economy for future generations.
Four members of the family run the business. Mum Marjorie and daughter Alison can be found running the farm shop, gift and craft galleries and tearoom, whilst son Richard runs the farm and Dad John jokes that he’s now the farm boy sent to run all the errands. Richard’s daughters Hannah and Emily have Saturday jobs in the tearoom and shop.
Along with their team of 60 staff in the retail facilities and 6 on the farm, the Parks are justifiably proud of their achievements. From John’s Lifetime Achievement Award from FARMA (National Farmers’ and Retail Markets Association) to accolades such as Farm Shop of the Month in the BBC Good Food Guide, the 2010 silver Taste Award in the national England for Excellence Awards, and the Cumbria Life Best Farm Shop 2012, there’s plenty for everyone to celebrate!
A farming family
Marjorie's Dad, Wilson Robinson, was born in 1916, and witnessed many changes in his long farming career. He started farming when he was a boy, helping around the family farm, and later bought his own farm among the hills of Westmoreland just before VE Day in 1945.