Today, Anthony is the proud owner of Smithills Open Farm, where interactive family fun is key to the business’s popularity. But life on the farm hasn’t always run smoothly – so just how did Anthony take the bull by the horns and make Smithills the pride of the North West countryside?

Smithills Open Farm are now proud to boast a small fleet of vans comprising of four medium-sized Vito vans and one small Citan van – and the operation has kept on expanding, with deliveries now including ice cream, fruit and vegetables. “These vans are busy all day, not just in the mornings,” says Carl, “and they attract plenty of attention in their cow-print livery!”

From a working dairy farm to an ever-moving hub of activity, where children have the time of their lives meeting a menagerie of farmyard and exotic animals, families and schools learn from the Grimshaw’s prize-winning herd of Holstein cows, and local customers get fresh produce straight from a responsible and reliable source – Smithill’s Open Farm has come a long way. So whatever may be next for Anthony and his family, we’ll be there with (cow) bells on.