Family's 150 years of farming to end as site shuts

A family's 150 years of fruit and vegetable farming will end later as their pick-your-own site shuts to the public for the final time.

Grays Farm in Wokingham, recognised by generations for its giant fibreglass strawberry, has been run by the Gray family since 1969 and open to the public since 1973.

Run initially by Donald Gray, it has been looked after by their son Peter, his wife Elizabeth and their son Paul, over recent years.

The site was bought by Wokingham Borough Council for £2.8m in 2014 and the farm will close on Saturday, ahead of a major sports hub opening in 2030.

The Grays' farming roots date back to the 1870s, when Peter's ancestors starting farming in Heston.

"What I enjoy most is the planning. Like my father used to say, I do like it when a scheme works," he said.

"There's a verse in a hymn by John Arlott, the cricket commentator, that talks about all the waiting, all the thinking, all the planning, the calendar of care.

"I start planning in the winter and then March, April, May start planting things and then it comes to fruition in the summer. I think that's what I'll miss."

He said he feels leaving now is "about the right time" for him and his family, despite the decades of memories they and customers have made.

"I was talking to a lady who brought her daughter when she was a toddler and she's now 50," Peter added.

The farm's giant strawberry, along with equipment including its tractors and picnic tables, will be auctioned off next month.

Mark Ashwell, the council's executive member for economic development, sport, leisure, countryside and the arts, said reusing the site will be a "once in a generation opportunity" for the borough.

He said the authority hopes to start work on the 60-acre (24.3 hectares) site at the end of 2027 or at the start of 2028, with the complex open by 2030.