The Pink Pig Farm - Our Story
Bringing fresh air and organic play to families in Scunthorpe and beyond for a quarter of a century!
The Pink Pig Farm: Here for Scunthorpe since 1999
It’s hard to believe it all began with a simple idea… and a slightly chilly trestle table!
1999 - Starting out in the cold
We set up a trestle table at the end of our drive and started selling our eggs, sausages, bacon, pork, chickens and cakes to anyone who happened to pass by. It wasn’t long before we had some regular customers, and as more folk kept coming, we realised we needed to take a leap…
Can you spot my daughter Carrie wrapped up under the trestle table?!
2001 – Our little farm shop opened
So, back in 2001, we opened a tiny farm shop and a 24-seater café, after realising that selling our own homegrown food directly to local people was something truly special and something that Scunthorpe wanted and needed. That was the start of The Pink Pig Farm!
From there, things kept growing; steadily and always with local families at heart.
2005-2010: Steadily getting bigger
By 2005, we expanded the shop and café as more people discovered us. Around the same time, visitors began asking if they could see the animals… so we brought some of our animals onto a “trail”, then a few more, along with a small play area too. And without quite realising it, we had begun our journey into family days out.
2014: The turning point: soft play!
A real turning point came in 2014 with the opening of our indoor playbarn, giving children a place to play whatever the weather (a lesson I wish I’d learnt earlier: don’t worry about the weather!).
Over the years, we’ve added more and more for families to enjoy; from imaginative play areas and jumping pillows to tractor rides, sandpits and climbing spaces. We’ve always believed that simple, outdoor play - a bit of mud, a lot of imagination - is where the magic really happens.
All through the journey, most of our profits have gone straight back into updating the farm park to turn it into a place parents can rely on for fresh air and fun. There have been other big milestones!
2016: A toyshop and improved visitor areas.
2018: When Lidl and Aldi arrived in Scunthorpe, we lost a lot of local custom and sadly our farm shop was no longer viable so we had to close it.
2019: We introduced new play experiences (Piggy Tale Lane, jumping pillows, ride-on tractors and ever-growing adventures – always focusing on authentic, homegrown food and family fun).
2021: Along came the big climbing pyramids and construction sandpit.
2022: Next was a new climbing area for toddlers and a nest swing for younger visitors.
2023: Our beautiful wedding venue, The Old Wheat Barn, opened (clearing it out has to be the most successful of my many Covid lockdown projects!). It was a busy year, as our very first Pig Fest bringing music and community together too.
2024: We added a go-kart track in for even more excitement
2025: An arson attack destroyed our much loved hay bale play barn. Farmer Anna leapt into action putting out the fire with her tractor. The community was so kind; a dreadful moment n our history made lighter by the love and support of our wonderful customers.
2026: We picked ourselves back up and opened a brand new covered outdoor play barn. And we celebrate 25 years of Pink Pig adventures!
Through it all, we’ve stayed true to what matters most; good food, family, farming, and our local community.
Thank you for being there with us through it all!
Some especially exciting moments along the way
One of our very first big moments was having Scunthorpe United legend Alex Garcia officially open our tiny little play area. It felt absolutely enormous to us, even though looking back now it was probably smaller than one corner of today’s adventure playground!
A particularly unforgettable day was welcoming Prince Charles to the farm. He spent time walking the fields, chatting to school children, meeting local suppliers and hearing all about Lincolnshire farming life. In true Pink Pig style, the visit even included lunch in Sally’s kitchen, not exactly Buckingham Palace, but we did our best!
And then there was the rather surprising moment when I somehow managed to win Farm Personality of the Year! To this day, I’m still not entirely sure how that happened, but it was a huge honour and a lovely reminder of the incredible support we’ve always had from our community.
The truth is, the real excitement has always been seeing families make memories here year after year, and that will always be the most special thing of all.
Sally x
The Greatest Joy Along the Way: You!
Some of our greatest joys have been the people. Families who visited us as children now bringing their own little ones. Team members who have been with us for decades.
And our own children growing up here, with the freedom of the farm (and the occasional bit of mischief involving tractor rides and hidden ponds!).
We’ve learnt a lot along the way, not least that optimism carries you through the hard days, and that the simplest things often bring the biggest smiles.
Our amazing team - we absolutely couldn’t do it all without them!
Over the years, The Pink Pig has been built by the most wonderful people, and we truly couldn’t have done it without them.
So many of our lovely “littleys” who worked here over the years have gone on to do amazing things. We now have doctors, vets, engineers, teachers, nurses; the list is endless. And I do feel so privileged to have given so many young people their very first taste of real work, responsibility and teamwork.
My amazing mother-in-law, Bridget, was always happiest rescuing lambs and caring for our animals with endless love and patience.
And of course, there’s Shirley, our very first employee, who is still going strong all these years later! Her loyalty, hard work and friendship mean the world to us.
To every single member of our Pink Pig family, past and present, thank you for helping make this place so special.
Looking Ahead
We’re so proud of our roots and everything we’ve built together, and we’re not stopping here.
Most of what we make goes straight back into the farm, into new ideas, new play, and better experiences for families like yours.
There’s still a very long wish list… But do let us know if you have any of your own ideas to share too - email hello.pinkpigfarm@gmail.com!
