Cannon Hall Farm: From nearly losing it all to becoming one of Britain’s best tourist attractions - new book airs the highs and lows of the Barnsley-based farm

Channel 5’s On the Farm series is set at Cannon Hall Farm featuring Farmer Rob and Dave Nicholson as well as their father Roger. The series has won three TV Choice Awards and most recently beat off competition from Clarkson’s Farm.

In their new autobiography, the third book to be reared at the farm, the Nicholson family shares their story of survival.

Previous books have become Sunday Time’s bestsellers and they hope this one will follow the same trajectory. This time features the whole family including Rob and Dave’s older brother Richard who works in marketing at the farm, after breaking away from tradition and studying graphic design.

The birth of Cannon Hall Farm with the Nicholson’s in charge

When Father Roger's own parents' farm had to make way for a housing development, something a lot of farmers are concerned about happening today, they purchased Cannon Hall Farm to pass down to Roger.

"Like a lot of family farms at times we struggled to survive," said farmer Rob.

In 1981 they opened a cafe on the farm before opening the farm completely to the public in 1989 for sheep shearing demonstrations.

Rob said: "We didn't have social media back then, so we had to rely on word of mouth. We've gone from being like Steptoe and Son to breeding some of the finest animals."

Following the farm's extraordinary success during lockdown, when they started recording Facebook live videos and their Channel 5 series On The Farm was a hit, Cannon Hall has become a top tourist attraction.

Despite the media attention on the family-run farm, farmers Dave, Rob, and Roger remain hands-on with the farm.

Rob said: "I'm away for a few days at the moment but I'm still checking the farm's cameras on my iPads three or four times a night checking that the animals are ok."

The animals are very much part of the family.

Rob said: "My father is getting on and cares for my mum who is not as well as we'd like but whenever he can be he is on the farm, tending to the animals."

The whole family continues to work at the farm across a range of departments from hospitality to branding and marketing and of course, caring for the animals.

Rob said: "We all live just a few doors down from each other so luckily we get on very well."

The Nicholsons’ biggest wish is that the farm will continue for generations to come providing each family member with a job.

Their new book is out on Thursday, March 13.