Laura Duligall took to Facebook to criticise Marsh Farm for ‘discriminating’ against childless couples (Picture: Laura Duligall/Google)

An animal lover unable to have children was left in tears when she and her husband were turned away from a petting farm.

Laura Duligall, 46, took to social media to call out Marsh Farm for what she called its ‘discrimination’ against childless visitors.

The nurse visited the attraction in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, but was turned away due to their safeguarding policy, which bans lone groups of adults.

She claimed an elderly couple in the farm’s car park had also been refused entry for the same reasons.


A spokesperson for Marsh Farm said its safeguarding policy does not permit adult-only visitors, adding: ‘It is visiting as adults alone that triggers the policy, not whether adults have children or not, and it is not intended to cause any distress and affords no judgements whatsoever.’

The ‘animal lover’ said the snub left her in tears after struggling for years because she cannot have children (Picture: Laura Duligall/Facebook)

Laura said she was keen to go see the animals after visiting the farm as a child and hadn’t been for 18 years.



She went with her husband Paul and two parents on August 31, but later raged on Facebook: ‘Refused entry to Marsh Farm today for not having children.

‘Yes you read that correctly, booked tickets online yesterday, turned up today with the printed ticket to be told “sorry you cannot enter Marsh Farm without a child”.

‘I will be taking this further. How dare a company discriminate like this.’

She added: ‘So as an animal lover I cannot visit Marsh Farm in case I abuse a child? Seriously, world gone mad.’

Laura said an elderly couple in the farm’s car park had also been refused entry for the same reasons.

The NHS nurse, from Chelmsford, said she had struggled for years because she was unable to have children and was left in tears by the decision, saying ‘it was another thing in my life just because I don’t have children’.

Commenting on the post, Sarah Plaskett criticised the farm’s ‘absolutely disgusting approach’ while Teresa Dade conveyed her sympathies to Laura and the elderly couple over the ‘terrible’ situation.

Laura said an elderly couple were also refused entry for the same reason (Picture: Laura Duligall/Facebook)

Marsh Farm used to be run by the local authority and was formerly an open farm, but when funding ran out it was taken over by the Partyman Company.

A spokesperson said the attraction ‘is a children’s attraction and without prejudice, we do not permit adult only admissions’.

‘While the name has remained we are no longer an open farm, we do not have the grazing fields to allow us to keep many animals and all our marketing, activities and shows are clearly aimed at primary school aged children,’ they added.

‘In line with other adventure play attractions and having assessed the risks, our safeguarding policy does not permit adult only admissions.

‘This is not new and has been part of Partyman policy for two years. We do our best to advise visitors of this through our website and at our admission area.

‘Our programme offers very little, if anything, for adult-only visitors and caters totally for families with young children and our policy is designed to provide some level of safeguarding for our customers.

‘It is visiting as adults alone that triggers the policy, not whether adults have children or not, and it is not intended to cause any distress and affords no judgement whatsoever.’

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