Forge Mill Farm in Sandwell Valley Country Park is investing in great days out in Sandwell with the creation of a new natural play barn and cafe.
Forge Mill Farm welcomes visitors of all ages to discover more about farming by meeting its range of animals and taking part in activities like a farm trail.
Visitors will soon be able to do even more at the farm with a barn being converted into a natural play space and cafe, due to open this summer.
Councillor Laura Rollins, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Built Environment, said:
“Forge Mill Farm is already one of Sandwell’s gems and attracts locals and people from further afield to enjoy its wonderful facilities. We are always looking to make it more and more attractive as a destination of choice so the addition of this play barn and café should go a long way to achieving that goal.”
Jacqui Gough, of SWG Construction which is undertaking the project on behalf of Sandwell Council, said the barn would be a fantastic facility for the local community.
“The barn provides a huge amount of space for a really exciting development, and we are making great progress creating an interactive and inspiring new addition to Forge Mill Farm,” she said.
“We are in the process of constructing a new single storey extension to the existing building which will include a kitchen, cafe servery, washrooms, education room, store and plant room.
“The project also includes a new insulated roof, drainage works and full plumbing and electrical fittings, including fire alarms, lighting, data, security, CCTV and heating systems.
“We are making a lot of effort to minimise any disruption during the work, as well as ensuring we reuse materials, such as ground soil and timber cladding, elsewhere on the farm.
“We are grateful to Sandwell Council for trusting us to undertake this build, which we hope will be enjoyed by visitors to Forge Mill Farm for years to come.”
Alex Dunn, Forge Mill Farm Manager, said: “We are very excited to be working on this project at Forge Mill Farm and are so pleased with how the work is progressing.
“Our visitors and school groups cannot wait to have the new barn and cafe available for them to use all year round.”
SWG Construction is based in Welshpool and has recently opened a new office in Wolverhampton as it works on a growing number of projects across the West Midlands.