Dan Thornicroft’s ambition to open the family farm to the public grew from taking his children on family days out.
“I’d been to a few farm-based events with the family but came away feeling underwhelmed,” he says. “It convinced me that my wife Bethan and I could do a better job and provide visitors with a grounded experience that wouldn’t cost them a small fortune to enjoy.”
With a simple and straightforward approach, Dan invested in enough pumpkin seeds to sow three acres in 2020 as a test run, and Libby’s Patch at Gawsworth, near Macclesfield was created.
Unaware that his idea was under the threat of failure from lockdown, he pressed ahead with an old fodder beet drill and got the crop away.
“I was told I was mad, but I’d already bought the seed,” he says. “As it turned out, our new pumpkin patch gave the locals something to do around Halloween after a period of staring at walls and not being allowed outside. It proved to be a great space that offered a positive outdoor experience with social distancing, and its success really took me by surprise.”
Named in memory of Dan’s late mother, Libby, the Gawsworth-based business sits alongside Gawsworth Track Livery and Libby’s Sunflower Patch. From 2025, Libby’s Strawberries and Libby’s Field of Fear will come to fruition.
“We offer a back-to-basics approach that invites kids and parents to get stuck-in, without the added cost or complication of needing to bring in extra entertainment at considerable cost,” he says. “Our pumpkins still grow on their vines, and with weeds masking the crop, it means the kids have to go searching for the size, shape and colour of pumpkin they want to take home.”
The 2024 crop has been grown from 36 varieties of pumpkin and squashes scattered over 12 acres. In addition, a sunflower maze occupies a further eight acres, and the experiences at Libby’s Patch Farm continue to evolve.
“We’ve just invested in 8,000 strawberry plants arranged on 1,000m of growing tables to extend our pick-your-own enterprise, and Libby’s Field of Fear will move the Halloween experience on to another level for those who want more of a challenge,” he says.
“Value for money is important for visitors, and we’re gradually extending our season to encourage people back at different times of the year, with online booking and a nominal entry cost per car to manage visitor numbers.”
It was the value for money mantra that led Dan to invest in a Kubota M6-111 Utility last year as his only tractor to carry out yard and field work at Libby’s Patch Farm. Supplied by Cheshire Farm Machinery to replace an older, smaller tractor, the M6-111u came equipped with an MX U408 loader.
“It’s our most important bit of kit, so reliability and warranty were key influencers in my buying decision,” he says. “And having dealt with Cheshire Farm Machinery before, it wasn’t a difficult process.”
“Every day, our tractor is in use, feeding the horses with hay on a daily basis in addition to general materials handing work,” says Dan. “With more power than our previous tractor, we’re certainly more efficient and that provides more time for other aspects of our business.”
He says finding the right size of tractor at the right price is no longer straightforward, and he feels that the M6-111u is an ideal package for the business.
“There are plenty of compact tractors to choose from and plenty of higher-powered tractors around too, but not many of this size that provide a fantastic blend of performance and manoeuvrability,” he says. “The 3.8-litre engine means a short wheelbase, and the portal front axle makes it extremely agile as a loader tractor around the yard and livery track. Yet is delivers 111hp and a five-tonne lift capacity, so there’s plenty of grunt for field work with our four-furrow plough and 3m cultivator.”
Contractors are used for drilling, baling and wrapping, with Dan tedding all his own hay in pursuit of the best quality forage.
“I even went carting silage for friend using one of his 14 tonne trailers, and was pleasantly surprised by how well the M6 could keep up,” he says. “It’s a comfortable cab with great visibility in a package that’s very easy to operate. And it’s backed up by a five-year, 3,000-hour warranty – what’s not to like?” he asks.
