Farm shop was a 'comfort place', customers say as closure announced

A farm shop of 25 years' community standing is to close for family reasons, prompting fond memories from customers, including one who referred to the premises as her "comfort place".

Mike Harper owns Top Barn Farm Shop and Farm Park in Holt Heath, Worcestershire, with his wife Joanna and says he is closing both businesses to spend more time with their children.

He said he had made the "incredibly difficult decision" to close after feeling he was missing out on valuable time with them.

Customers responded to the news by sharing their multi-generational experiences of the venues, with one wondering what her family would do without it.

Harper said: "Time is valuable. You only get to be with your family once and this is a weekend and holiday-heavy business.

"It makes it tough to take that time out... you feel like you're missing out.

"You don't get a chance to turn the clock back."

A regular customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "It's sad really because it's been here for quite a few years.

"I'm here with my great-granddaughter and I used to bring my grandchildren here.

"It's free to bring them on to the land and they just love the pigs, the goats and the pumpkins, and it's just sad it's going.

"We like to have a drink and it's a good day out... I don't know where to take her now."

A second customer added: "I think I came here as a kid and this is the first time I've come back.

"It's awful [that it's closing] and there aren't many places like it, at least not in the Midlands."

For another customer, Top Barn Farm Park had been her "comfort place".

She said: "I'm autistic and there are very few places that I can actually go that are so peaceful.

"I can actually go outside where it's not stressful for me and places like this are really essential."

Harper said a number of other factors had come together when making the choice to close.

"One is the building needs looking at and we got to the stage where we needed to do something.

"That made it a clear [decision]. Our children weren't showing massive interest in the business so you start to think 'what are we doing this for long term'?"

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Harper said the couple had "loved" running the shop and park, and explained that other parts of the farm operation, run by his brothers, were unaffected.

The site will re-open to the public in December for its annual sale of Christmas trees, which is set to continue in future years.

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