A Lune valley farm, which also operates as a successful visitor attraction, suffered a double blow with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth last February.

Not only did Geoff and Hilary Ford, the owners of Docker Park Farm, near Arkholme, face the prospect of losing their animals to the disease, the farm was forced to close to visitors for three months, meaning their other main source of income was slashed.

Even when the farm re-opened to the public, visitors were slow to return, and over the year it is estimated £60,000 of business was lost.

Mr Ford said it was a "terrible" 12 months, waiting to see if they would escape the disease, and then hoping the visitors would come back.

But everyone at the farm is now determined to put the year behind them, and a bumper Easter period, which saw visitors flocking to the attraction in droves, certainly got the season off to a positive start.

Twelve years ago, the Fords, who have three children, decided to take the plunge and branch off into tourism by opening their pig farm up to the public.

Assistant manager Lindsey Abbott said their decision was prompted by the stiff competition they faced from Danish pig farmers, which made achieving a viable income increasingly hard.

They had to re-think what they could do to stay on the farm, and they decided they would open the farm as a visitor centre, she said.

Despite criticisms that the 70-acre farm was too far off the beaten track for people to visit it, in the first year of opening, Docker Park Farm attracted 12,000 visitors, and the year before foot-and-mouth between 20,000 and 25,000 people passed through the farm gates.

The centre, which has up to 15 staff mainly working part-time, has developed to cater for the visitors over the years but has remained essentially a working farm.

Goats wander alongside visitors in the farmyard, and peacocks strut their stuff in the picnic area.

Shetland ponies, cows, calves and poultry are also on display, with the week-old piglets proving popular with the younger visitors.

Another firm favourite is Clara, the 20-year-old cow, who has just had her third set of twins.

Docker Park is also keen to promote a hands-on approach, with children encouraged to play in the rabbit pen, and help feed the lambs.

Tractor rides and pony rides are also on offer, there's a nature trail, and an indoor adventure play area designed to keep youngsters occupied, and during the summer ferret-racing is a popular spectator sport.

Education is also an important part of the centre's work, and each year it hosts visits from up to 90 schools, many from the Blackburn and Preston areas.

l Docker Park Farm, which also has a tearoom and a shop selling local produce, is open all year round, but closed on Tuesdays during the winter, and between Christmas and New Year.

For more information call the centre on 01524-221331.