Over 250 farms across UK took part in Open Farm Sunday

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh vis­it­ed Hamp­ton Estate Farms in Sur­rey to cel­e­brate the annual initiative (Photo: LEAF)

Over 250 farms across the country welcomed thousands of people after opening their gates for the annual Open Farm Sunday initiative.

The UK-wide events, which took place on Sunday 11 June, were designed to educate the public on where food comes from and the work farmers do.

Managed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), Open Farm Sunday offered an opportunity for visitors to get closer to farming.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh vis­it­ed Hamp­ton Estate Farms in Sur­rey to cel­e­brate the annual initiative, where she saw first-hand what farm­ing deliv­ers.

She met an expert bovine vet who cares for the estate’s pedi­gree herd of Sus­sex beef cows, as well as learn­ing about the his­to­ry and process of hop grow­ing.

The Duchess met some inspi­ra­tional young peo­ple to hear about how they are forg­ing their careers in the sec­tor.

@LEAF_Farming ’s honorary president, HRH the Duchess of Edinburgh today visited a LEAF Open Farm Sunday event.??
HRH spoke with professionals working in the food production industry including some inspiring young people starting their careers in the sector! #LOFS23 @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/Xq9xdBYI8T

— LEAFOpenFarmSunday (@OpenFarmSunday) June 11, 2023

We're still buzzing after over 250 farms opened their gates for #LOFS23 yesterday! ????

Have a watch of our highlights video below to get a true sense of just how special this annual event is! ??????????????????@RoyalFamily @AnnabelOFS @mollybiddell pic.twitter.com/47ySioKBo4

— LEAFOpenFarmSunday (@OpenFarmSunday) June 12, 2023

Annabel Shack­le­ton, LEAF Open Farm Sun­day man­ag­er said the public’s grow­ing inter­est around food and the envi­ron­ment was "so impor­tant".

However, she said there was still "a real lack of under­stand­ing" about where food comes from.

"Not only have farm­ers col­lec­tive­ly raised the pro­file of British food and farm­ing, but we have also inspired a new gen­er­a­tion of agri-food professionals," Ms Shackleton said.

"It offered a unique oppor­tu­ni­ty for farm­ers to build sup­port for the indus­try, show­cas­ing the very best of what they do whilst being ful­ly sup­port­ed with resources, meet­ings, event guid­ance and more.

"By tak­ing part in LEAF Open Farm Sun­day, farm­ers con­tin­ue to help change people’s per­cep­tions and under­stand­ing of the indus­try.

"We’re call­ing on all farm­ers to think about how they can get involved in next year’s LEAF Open Farm Sun­day on 9th June and have a real, last­ing pos­i­tive impact in 2024!”

Next year’s LEAF Open Farm Sun­day will take place on Sun­day 9 June 2024.