Last Sunday was Open Farm Sunday. This initiative has been going for three years now and farms across the country are encouraged to open their gates to the public on the first Sunday in June as a massive PR exercise. This is an excellent idea and has really gained momentum since the first open day in 2006.

I had thought about doing it last year – but only really heard of the scheme late in the day and was already behind getting the campsite ready for half-term. However this year, with plenty of time to plan, I signed us up to be one of the 400 odd farms who would participate.

As first timers I thought we would keep it simple and I listed on the Open Farm Sunday web site that the event would start at 2pm with a guided farm walk, followed by a trailer ride back to the farm yard and then I would do a small sheep shearing demonstration and it would all be over by about 4.30.

The good people at LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) who were doing all of the central planning and organisation had managed to attract an impressive array of sponsorship for the event and every farm that signed up received a box of goodies including posters, flyers, postcards, helpful books and a rather natty Open Farm polo shirt with all of the sponsors logos on the back. All of the usual suspects were there including the RSPB, the NFU and Natural England as well as a couple of unlikely ones including McDonalds.

Now, just because we live on an organic farm and grow our own veg in the garden doesn’t mean we don’t all enjoy the odd treat of pigging out on fast food once in a while. In years gone by I would always have favoured KFC over McDonalds – nibbling at bits of lip-smacking chicken and daintily wiping my fingers with the lemon-scented wipe supplied. McDonalds at that time was using Argentinean beef and had a lousy reputation.

However in recent times they have really cleaned up their act and now source only British beef (hurrah) and only use British Organic Milk (hurrah, hurrah). KFC on the other hand seem to have gone right downhill (if our experience in Plymouth last month was anything to go by) and their tasteless chicken (scoured from some broiler house god knows where in the world) was dripping with grease and to add insult to injury they have even discontinued the moist tissues!

Anyway, it was the source of much amusement with the kids to see their dad sponsored by the big M and raised quite a few comments from the 50 or so members of the public who thankfully turned up. All in all it was a successful event (despite the fact that if started to rain at exactly two o’clock!) and the kids tea and cakes raised £84 for Save The Children. The date for next year has already been set for Sunday June 7th – so if you are in the area please come along.