A small family-farm in West Haddon which converted redundant farm buildings into holiday lets eight years ago is gearing up for a busy summer by making the cottages more sustainable.
White House Farm is home to seven cottages which are available to let and have proved popular with people seeking a tranquil escape in the Northamptonshire countryside.
Angela Wooliscroft and her late husband Ian moved to the farm in 2015 and set about transforming farm buildings on the 70-acre site into cottages before christening the business as White House Farm Holiday Cottages.
The couple, who also ran contracting business Blue Boar Contracts, installed ponds to reduce flood risk, re-roofed the buildings and completely renovated the interiors.
Ian passed away suddenly in 2016 with work still in progress on the cottages. However, just a year later, the first guests had their stay.
Since then, the cottages have proved hugely popular with a 98 per cent occupancy rate during the spring and summer months.
Angela has now invested in the installation of solar panels and heat pumps to make the cottages more sustainable.
She has also received planning permission to convert another building into a large space, with the farm hoping to turn it into a games room for guests, with new shower and toilet facilities.
Accountancy firm Burgis & Bullock works closely with Angela to provide support and advice for planned investments, having supported Angela and Ian for more than 30 years through their other businesses.
Angela, who is supported by her three children in running the cottages when required, says she is expecting another busy summer as people seek escapism in the British countryside.
Angela said: “We’re always looking to improve and invest. We pride ourselves on being a tranquil haven away from the busy nature of the world, so the next stage was to ensure we were being as sustainable as possible and reducing impact of the cottages on the environment.
“The cottages have been incredibly popular since we opened them back in 2017. We welcome a lot of walkers, couples and individuals seeking escapism. The space lends itself perfectly to weddings and family reunions too, with groups able to rent all of the cottages.
“I’m constantly looking at ways to improve and modernise the cottages. For example, we have installed air conditioning, and we have secured planning permission to convert another of the buildings.
“Trevor Day from Burgis & Bullock has been with us every step of the way and was one of the first people I spoke to after Ian passed away. He is a good sounding post for any investment decisions we are planning to make and has recently helped us transition over to cloud accounting with Xero.
“We’ve come a long way since we moved here in 2015 and any changes we make are with the goal of enhancing the experience for guests in our cottages.”
Burgis & Bullock has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Trevor Day, head of client services at Burgis & Bullock, said: “This is a great example of how farm owners can boost their finances by utilising space for non-agriculture activity.
“There is a growing demand for rural cottages where people can escape from day-to-day life and White House Farm Holiday Cottages have capitalised on that.”
To find out more about White House Farm Holiday Cottages visit https://whfholidaycottages.co.uk/
