The pandemic has been particularly challenging for farmers over the last few months, with many struggling with rapidly changing demand from restaurants, shops and supermarkets. In addition, the necessary nationwide lockdown measures have meant that additional income streams such as tourism, which many farmers rely upon, have suffered badly.

Ben Dixon, owner of Home Farm Attingham is a Shropshire dairy farm which diversified into tourism, Home Farm lost 75% of its annual income because it had to shut down operations due to the pandemic.

“We’re a dairy farm, but 33 years ago mum and dad diversified and opened the farm up into tourism. The farm sits within National Trust grounds, and before the crisis hit we welcomed hundreds of day visitors who could meet the animals and visit the tearooms for homemade cakes.

“Tourism is the biggest source of income for our business in the spring and summer, and it’s been massively affected by the pandemic. April, May and June are traditionally our busiest months of the year, and closure has cost us about 75% of our annual tourism income.

“We’re lucky in a sense to have a separate source of income with the milk, but that’s been hit too. One of the big customers our milk buyer supplies is Pret A Manger and that market disappeared overnight, and the value of the rest of our milk dropped due to demand, so it’s been a nightmare.

“Fortunately, the Bounce Back Loan has been a lifeline, giving us the cash needed to help us prepare for winter. We’re also hoping to benefit from more people holidaying in the UK this summer once lock down is over – there’s definitely interest in the countryside and how to run a farm so we’d encourage everyone to research what’s out there and support rural businesses.”

Andy Reeve, owner of St Leonards Equitation Centre,

“I established St Leonards over 40 years ago as a riding centre to offer tuition to adults and children, but we also welcome tourists to stay in our four cottages all year round. We’d already had a challenging winter because of bad weather, and when the lockdown began in March we had to suspend all business. With no cashflow, we were facing an uncertain future.

“Fortunately, we got a Bounce Back Loan that allowed us to keep our horses fed and pay for our silage bills months in advance, and the money has also meant that we’ve been able to make some significant improvements to the cottages. The wonderful weather we enjoyed in Cornwall during the months under lockdown also allowed us to repaint the whole property and make improvements to the stables.

“We recently re-opened for riding lessons and practice jumping, having implemented all health and safety measures, and are already seeing great interest from visitors. We’re also hoping to benefit from more people holidaying in the UK this summer, now that restrictions have been lifted, and we look forward to welcoming tourists to stay in our cottages!”

Frank Taylor, owner of FRW Taylor farm an arable and cattle farm in Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire.

“Before the pandemic, the year had already been interesting with a wet winter quickly followed by a drought in the spring. Then coronavirus hit and several of our customers just stopped paying us. The longer the pandemic goes on the more challenging it’s going to become, as we need some of the money owed to us to start coming back in. This is part of the reason why we applied for a Bounce Back Loan, as the money will be helpful in plugging some of these gaps.

“However, we also wanted to be forward thinking where possible, and so have invested some of the loan money in our machinery to ensure operations are running at their best. We’re a relatively young farm, only 20 years old, and all our staff are under 30, so it’s important for us to keep investing in the land and exploring new revenue streams. Our next step is developing some residential housing on site as we continue to expand the business.

“Barclays has been a great supporter of the farm and has helped us expand and buy land over the last ten years. This loan has enabled us to keep looking ahead. Knowing we have the bank’s ongoing support is a massive help for us.”