A new sunflower farm on the outskirts of Caersws, near Newtown is about to open to the public for the first time next weekend.

People will soon be able to flock to Porth Farm, Moat Lane from Saturday, August 21, to enjoy fields of sunflowers planted overlooking Caersws village in the beautiful Severn Valley.

Local farmers Gerwyn Vaughan and Sarah Pinnell have planted four acres of six different varieties of sunflowers alongside a two-acre maize maze. The farm has a woodland wander with picnic seating and will be selling Welsh food and drinks, including home-made cakes and Dairy Dreams ice cream, with pop up vendors.

"It became more and more apparent during lockdown what we can offer. We've got a fantastic environment and stunning scenery," Sarah said.

“We want to promote the local area and give something back to mid Wales which has a lot to offer.

“Tourism isn’t just about somebody visiting from another part of the country. During the pandemic we have all been encouraged to see what we have on our doorstep and it has been an eye opener to me.”

County Times: Porth Farm, near Caersws.

The couple had planned to welcome visitors at the end of July but the cold May weather delayed the flowers which are now set to bloom over the next six weeks.

Admission to the local attraction will cost £10 for cars with up to five people or £2 per person and they can spend as long as they wish on the farm.

Visitors who wish to pick a sunflower as a memento of their visit will be charged between £1 and £1.50 per stem.

Later this autumn, Sarah and Gerwyn will open again to visitors this Autumn with 15,000 pumpkins ready to pick. They expect the farm to open its gates from October 9 until Halloween and plan to run workshops on pumpkin carving and Halloween decorations as well as providing refreshments.

The couple, who both hold down full-time jobs, are looking for ways to diversify their 70-acre sheep farm which would allow them to welcome visitors. They already grow hay and haylage for horses but are looking for other ideas to supplement the farm’s income.

Sarah said: “We have a beautiful outdoor space here where we promote biodiversity and conservation and wanted to create an experience for the whole family in the area.

“We have a vast number of visitors to this area who are looking for places to visit and things to do, so we want to promote what the farm can offer and improve our biodiversity at the same time.

“By having three separate plantings of sunflowers, we are hoping that they flower at different times over six weeks, but we are in the lap of the gods. When they have finished flowering, the sunflowers and Phacelia will be left to feed our farmland birds through the ‘hungry gap’ and then ploughed back into the ground.”

More information about the farm is available on Porth Farm's Facebook page.