Recovery on agenda as MP visits Butser Ancient Farm
August 13, 2020
Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond visited Butser Ancient Farm near Petersfield for a tour of the ancient buildings and landscape, alongside a discussion of the current challenges and opportunities faced at this unique heritage site in the South Downs National Park.
Butser Ancient Farm, which reopened to pre-booked visitors last month, was a hive of activity on a beautiful summer’s day, with visitors meeting the new baby goats, watching thatching and ancient skills demonstrations, and exploring the reconstructed ancient homes and buildings. However, after coming out of three months of lockdown, with a subsequent total loss of income during what would have been the farm’s busiest time of the year, it’s facing a challenging time ahead.
With the announcement that the new Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is now open for applications, the visit was a fantastic opportunity for Flick to discuss the government’s support package for the struggling arts and heritage sector.
Farm directors Maureen Page and Simon Jay were able to highlight their concerns and hopes for the future as Flick offered her support to any application the farm makes to the Recovery Fund.
Director Maureen Page said: “As Butser approaches its 50th year of opening it has been very difficult for us to close for such a long period of time. We love to welcome visitors to explore the ancient past with us and usually host hundreds of schoolchildren each week to be inspired about ancient life. This in turn helps to fund our ongoing archaeological research work, enabling us to build and experiment with exciting new interpretations of ancient life, and continue our community wellbeing and volunteering programmes. We are anxious to continue this important work and need all the support we can get in order to do so.”
Although school trips are permitted to resume from September, there is still uncertainty over coach travel and the way in which schools will be able to travel to locations such as Butser Ancient Farm. With many attractions facing similar issues, the visit was a valuable opportunity to raise these concerns. Flick will be able to represent and highlight these issues in ongoing government discussions.