The Farmers Guardian - 2 May 2003 '
'More than just a room to sleep' by Joanne Pugh

To most people the Lake District begins and ends at Windermere, but venture a little further and you discover a whole new experience.

That is the proud claim of the Lakes Farm Holidays Group on its newly launched website. The group of 10 farmer's wives pride themselves on providing traditional Cumbrian farmhouse accommodation on working farms, but they have come a long way since the group was formed in 1988, changing and adapting with the times and now using the internet in their latest market initiative to advertise their bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation.

Christine England, Carolyn Heslop and Alison Hewitson

The group was formed 15 years ago by three friends who all provided bed and breakfast accommodation from their family farms. Having recruited up to a dozen members they began to meet monthly to share their experiences and discuss how best to run their businesses. Alison Hewitson, the chairman of the group, and a founder member, had been providing bed and breakfast accommodation from High Stanger Farm, Cockermouth, a traditional working sheep farm, for several years before the group was formed. Having given up work only two weeks before having her first child she found it a real shock to be at home all day with a baby that 'just slept and slept'. A visiting relative saw the potential of the spare rooms in the farmhouse, and suggested she did B&B. 'So I stuck up a sign and that was me started!'

Carolyn Heslop, another founding member, tells a similar story. She gave up her job when she got married and moved to Stanger Farm, a small Lakeland sheep farm. The new lifestyle was very different and she craved company. She began providing bed and breakfast and now provides self-catering accommodation in 'The Stables', a barn conversion.

Companionship arrears to be the pivotal point upon which the Lakes Farm Holidays Group works. Before they joined forces many of the members experienced a sense of isolation and loneliness trying to run their businesses alone. Mrs Heslop said 'How was I to know if I was charging too much or too little, and how could I advertise effectively?' Once the group was established and the members had overcome their initial reluctance to share tips and prices, they realised how invaluable their idea was.

If someone rings Mrs Hewiston to book a room when she is already full, then she will know another group member who has a vacancy. Or if someone rings Mrs Heslop, who doesn't accommodate pets, asking if they can bring a dog, then she knows exactly which members take pets. 'We will always find you somewhere to stay', she said.

These small businesses have been able to survive all of the changes over the years by working within the group and finding safety in numbers. As they are not working as individuals they can experiment with new ideas and try different advertising ventures - always working together to find new business for each other. And that is the idea behind this new website which will be easier and cheaper to keep updated, and should reach more people.

The message the group wants to give is they do not just provide a room to sleep overnight. 'Back in the 1980s diversification was a new thing and wasn't about replacing your farm with something else like it seems to be now', said Mrs Hewitson. 'The accommodation we provide is an 'add on' not an 'instead of'. The farm takes priority, with the accommodation, which is by far the less serious venture, fitting in around it.

'We do it because we want to, not because we have to, and I think our guests can see that. They could just go to a hotel and the only person they'd see would be the receptionist.'

The group members enjoy having guests, relish their company and have time to talk to them. They are passionate about their area, and know how to give people the best possible holiday in this part of the Lake District.

'Yes, guests are interested in what we do on the farm, but very few understand it before they arrive', said Mrs Hewitson. The members have many stories about guests expecting to find baby lambs in August, and asking where the street-lights have gone!

They are determined to continue to provide 'traditional' accommodation. They found advice from the Tourist Board 'irrelevant' as they are aiming to provide a 'friendly place to stay', rather than a 'faceless' hotel, 'We're not about providing bath robes and pot pourri. We gave up with the Tourist Board when they told us we should put up 'Welcome' signs on the back of the bedroom doors. 'We don't need signs', said Mrs Heslop. 'We say Welcome when we meet our guests at the front door'.

The members are proud of their repeat bookings. When people have stayed once, many of them return time after time. Mrs Hewitson said during the foot-and-mouth crisis, many of their regular visitors phoned the family to check they were alright, and when the holiday season re-started after the crisis was over, many regular guests were queuing up to re-book. 'I think that FMD made many people appreciate the countryside more, because when they suddenly couldn't come, they realised what they were missing.'

Despite the number of re-bookings, the Lakes Farm Holidays Group is constantly looking for new business as well, hence the launch of its website - www.lakesfarmholidays.co.uk.

A group of farmers' wives have launched a new initiative to promote the best in traditional Cumbrian farmhouse accommodation.

The West lakeland Holiday group highlighted their new website www.lakesfarmholidays.co.uk at the inaugural Spring Prize Show and Sale of pedigree Holstein dairy cattle.

The group pride themsleves on providing excellent B&B and self-catering accommodation on working farms.

They are not part of a larger traditional network, and manage all business plans and marketing objectives themselves.

'We saw the show and sale as an unique oportunity. We are proud we worked with Mitchells Auction Company, celebrating our farming heritage and future', said group chairman, Alison Hewitson.

The group were finalists in the 'Cumberland News' Countryside Awards 2002.

Christine Watson, one of the group's newest members, is also featured on the site, following the conversion of her barn on Byresteads Farm into a tourism business.

Some members of The Lakes Farm Holidays Group at Mitchell's Auction, March 2003

Mitchell's Auction, March 2003

---

[ Home | Introduction | Accommodation | Photo Album | The Area | Location | News | Links ]