Farm goes Quackers with success !

Date published: 05 November 2009

A farm in Bacup, Rossendale, is sowing the seeds of success with a little help from PEER Business Support.

In 2007, Terry Bork and his wife Ruth closed the door on their days fitting kitchens and made the move from Rochdale to a small farm in Bacup, Rossedale. As keen animal lovers, the business vision was clear, to create a friendly, family orientated business where anyone and everyone could interact with the animals. So, Animal Quackers was born.

The petting farm, gives children and families across the region a chance to see sheep, cows, goats, alpaca and much more up-close and personal. Animal Quakers also gives visitors a chance to see what happens down on the farm, a valuable educational resource for schools across the area.

As with any business there are many hurdles to overcome and last year was particularly hard for the Animal Quackers team. With morale waning and income not as expected, Terry took the decision, following a discussion with Business Link, to seek some support from PEER.

Andy MacNae, Enterprise Facilitator for PEER, supports businesses who are starting up or growing across Rossendale and has worked with Terry and Animal Quackers for the last few months. From developing business plans, to reworking the companies finances, Andy has made a dramatic impact on the Rossendale business.

Says Terry: “Andy has been a fantastic support over the last few months and helped our business when it was most needed. Andy’s knowledge, experience and business acumen have been a great sounding board for ideas, helping to take our business to new heights.”

“Over the last year, the business started to veer off track slightly, with months of poor weather, a Blue Tongue outbreak and the threat of E-Coli. With Andy’s help and know-how we’ve taken hold of the reins again and put the farm back on the path to success.”

PEER (People Encouraging Enterprise in Rossendale) was established in 2003 and aims to help those businesses in need of extra support and guidance. PEER then mobilise community resources and share their knowledge, experience and contacts to help others succeed. As Andy MacNae explains, the PEER system has given Animal Quackers a new lease of life:

“PEER has a board of 40 members, all of whom have their own ideas, skills and contacts to help others when its most needed. In the case of Terry and the team at Animal Quackers, it was a case of re-establishing the direction of the business and getting a firm grip on the numbers. Through our contacts we managed to get the farm into the Rossendale tourist guide, attracting more visitors to their Bacup base. Not only that, we simplified and fine-tuned the accounts, making what can often be a daunting set of numbers more user friendly.

Working with Terry emphasises how any business, no matter what you do, can benefit from a bit of dedicated T.L.C.”

For more information on the Animal Quackers Farm call Terry and the team on 01706 875492 or look at their Business Profile on Ask Rossendale:

www.askrossendale.co.uk/sites/animal-quackers

To find out more about PEER and how it can help your business, please contact Andy MacNae on: 0797 119 0827