LOOKING at Roves Farm today nobody would ever know that this time last year it was devastated by fire.

The Burr family has been working to get the farm back on track since the blaze, caused by an electrical fault, destroyed the visitors’ centre on May 9, 2012.

The farm faced being closed indefinitely but was open to the public again just two months after the fire.

Owner Rupert Burr said the last 12 months had been full of challenges.

“It has been traumatic to say the least. It has just been a mad rush all year trying to keep things going,” he said.

“We were all in the doldrums a bit just thinking of it and everything that went on. There was so much rushing about.

“We are still waiting for all our electricity and supplies to get sorted out. The solar panels still aren’t working.”

The visitors’ centre had been the site’s main reception and ticketing area, as well as hosting arts and crafts activities.

However, the hard work of staff and volunteers has ensured that the agricultural barn, previously used for Christmas activities and storage, could be transformed into the new activity barn.

“We had increased numbers on the previous year over the summer. Everyone kept telling us they preferred the new arrangement because it’s all in one big room,” said Rupert.

It has been a whirlwind of a year for the attraction, as only four months after the fire, it celebrated its 20th anniversary of being a visitor centre with a family fun day.

Now, a planning application has been accepted by Swindon Council to put up a replacement building to accommodate the cafe and farm shop, retain the existing temporary accommodation as a new play barn, provide new livestock and storage accommodation together with the repair of a separate building as storage and boiler housing.

“We were working towards a farm shop but this was our chance to build a purpose-built one,” said Rupert.

Rupert said the biggest problem over the last 12 months had been on the farming side of the business as they had had to find alternative places for the animals in the winter.

“Every bit of roof has been commandeered,” he said.

“We haven’t been able to house any of the sheep. We put the donkeys and goats in the picnic barn because it was the only bit of roof we had.

“When the cold weather came, keeping everything heated and windproof was one of the hardest things.”

A farm building is currently being built to put the animals and hay in.

They are hoping to use the new building to help house the Oxfordshire County Young Farmers’ Show in two weeks’ time.

The event, which will see between 300 and 400 young farmers attending but is open to everyone, will include trade stands, 25 craft stalls and food stalls.

The farm hosted the event about six years ago and had about 2,000 people attending.

It is thought the visitors’ centre that burnt down will be rebuilt next year but the farm will remain open to the public throughout the work.