Mums go free this Mother’s Day (Sunday, March 22) at Barleylands Farm Park, near Billericay, in Essex. With plenty of outdoor space and longstanding hand-washing facilities, the eight-acre Farm Park offers families a fun-filled day in the open air meeting the animals - which include Highland cows, goats, llamas and newborn lambs - and burning off energy in the adventure playground.

Other activities include tractor and trailer rides, a Speedway racetrack, a birds of prey demonstration and feeding the baby lambs. The new Exotics and Nocturnal House will be holding an interactive talk about its curious creatures at 11am, and Tiptree Tearooms and independent retailers in Barleylands Craft Village offer the opportunity to extend the day with local food and shopping.

Free entry for each mum accompanied by a child under 16 years of age (including under-2s) with a Farm Park ticket.

www.barleylands.co.uk

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Barleylands was opened by Peter Philpot in 1984 with a few vintage tractors on show to bring the public out onto a farm to learn more about food and farming. It was one of the first farm parks in Essex and is still owned by the Philpot family. Over the last 30 years the farm park has expanded and now offers young families an immersive, interactive day out with farm animals and activities to learn more about the farming story in the Discovery Barn, as well as indoor and outdoor play areas and events. New for 2020 is an exotics and nocturnal house, home to species from around the world. The Farm Park offers popular seasonal activities including bottle feeding lambs and also hosts birthday parties.

Barleylands also hosts award-winning educational visits for schools, both guided and unguided. Through a variety of themed days, the education team give children a better understanding of where their food comes from, the role of farmers in the UK and the part they play to keep food on all our plates through fun, interactive activities. Activities include cooking from scratch with locally produced ingredients, some grown on the farm, to exploring the Discovery Barn, learning about the farming year, grinding wheat into flour, churning butter and meeting the farm animals.