Interview with Rick Turner, Director of the Flock of The BIG Sheep, Devon

By: Emily Stewart, Contributor

Planning a visit to The BIG Sheep Devon is a slightly intimidating task; there is a reason for the curious capitalisation of “big” in its name. From watching shows to sheep, tumbling around indoor mazes to outdoor obstacles courses, riding on wheels or water, the Big Sheep is an amalgamation of Disneyland, the zoo, and a farm. Oh, and Waterworld, too (visitors spend hot summer days zipping down water park slides).

This wildly exciting space is the brainchild of a wildly clever man named Rick Turner. In his development of The BIG Sheep he has promoted a greater awareness of Devon’s tourism economy. From serving on local planning boards to speaking at tourism conventions, Rick demonstrates shrewd business knowledge underneath his laid-back Devon demeanour.

Westward M.S. Limited’s App for Devon team asked me to write an article on Rick after The BIG Sheep won the Best Large Attraction Award at this year’s Devon Tourism Awards ceremony.  Rick himself won the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award for his activism in promoting Devon’s tour economy. After a brief Google search I realized that he might be a difficult man to track down: I seemed to be one of many journalists trying to learn more from his sage understanding of Devon’s tourism economy.

Emily Stewart (ES): After winning the Devon Tourism Awards many organisations move forward to apply for further recognition like Visit England Awards. Will The BIG Sheep?

Rick Turner (RT): We always try and enter awards. It keeps us on our toes, drives us to be better, and gives us a benchmark for our mission which is to be the attraction of choice. We enter business awards, customer service awards, training awards. When we win these it is a fantastic way of showing the team that their hard work is worth all the effort.

ES: What is it about being located in Devon that makes The BIG Sheep particularly successful? 

RT: The main reason we do what we do and are recognised as one of the top rural attractions in the UK is the fact that operating in North Devon for any business is such a massive challenge. We are very seasonal and have a very low local population with sea on two sides (the fish never come to visit). There are many other great attractions vying for our customers. The worthy competition drives us to be as good as possible, developing new attractions and endeavouring to give improved customer experiences every year. We also get a large number of repeat visitors who have come to expect new annual attractions. Our locals are vitally important to the business and we strive to give them fantastic value, great attractions and the best leisure time in Devon. We face continuing challenges but have a wonderful team of incredibly dedicated and talented people who really enjoy entertaining our customers.

ES: Explain the extent to which you run a "working farm." Do you sell your produce and beer at other locations, for instance? 

RT: We are one of only two working farms in the south west who are open to the public and so the animal magic is at the heart of what we do. We still have 350 sheep running in a commercial flock. They are used for the shearing shows. Our sheepdogs are the stars of the One Man and His Dog show and the duck trialling show. From February half term to the middle of the summer, visitors can actually witness lambs being born. This is a major point of difference to the other attractions. The brewery was introduced in 2002 and is a CAMRA silver award medallist. It is sold to regional local pubs and then through wholesalers to beer festivals and pubs throughout the country

ES: Are you from Devon?

RT: I am an eighth-generation farmer who has Devon in his soul. I love the farming, the county, the people and will be here until I die. I enjoy travelling which just makes me appreciate even more our wonderful part of the world. I know that if we were operating in an area where there were higher populations we would be more financially successful but I will never move. I am totally grateful to our Devon locals for supporting, helping and backing The BIG Sheep over the past 27 years.

ES: What are your hopes and prospects for tourism in Devon in 2015?

RT: I am very optimistic that 2015 will be a great year for Devon tourism. The weather was fantastic for most of last year. We enjoyed our most successful season ever! We have major expansion plans for a massive new family roller coaster ride opening this summer. Bookings look strong for this time of the year; we think this may be the best one for a decade. The election will throw some uncertainty but the industry needs to work together to help one another to be successful. In partnership we will all be enjoying greater prosperity.

Eventually I knew I must end our interview. I could listen to Rick for hours but was sensitive to his demanding schedule. He has a family roller coaster ride to build, after all. Like so many people involved in the tourism industry I was deeply awed by the ease with which Rick explained his company vision and his larger Devonian dreams. Westward, App for Devon and I are proud to support Rick and other tourism operators like him. As Rick said, “in partnership we will all be enjoying greater prosperity.”