How a ‘mind-bendingly daft’ Goats on Zoom service made a Manc farm famous
Cronkshaw Fold Farm started hiring out goats to Zoom meetings back in April 2020 as a joke. But the service has now raised thousands and kept staff in work.
Zoom meetings have become part and parcel of everyday life during the pandemic.
In lieu of face-to-face contact, millions have turned to video conferencing platforms to host virtual meet-ups – with Joe Public, MPs and even Royal Family members communicating via video link.
But Zoom sessions – regardless of whether they’re for work meetings or social catchups – tend to follow a predictable pattern.
At least one person is impatiently urged to take themselves off mute. Other participants verbally bump into one another at deafening volume. And some bits of the conversation are permanently lost in a garbled, pixelated, blurry vortex.
Sometimes there’s a quiz, too.
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It’s the same thing day in, day out. So it’s no wonder, then, that one farm’s attempts to change the Zoom status quo have gone down so well.
Cronkshaw Fold in Rossendale – around 40 minutes north of Manchester city centre – is home to sheep, chickens and dogs, but it’s their resident goats who have catapulted the farm into the news headlines.
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The farm has been hiring out their goats for Zoom meetings right around the UK – offering some refreshing comic relief from video conferencing cliches in the process.
Cronkshaw Fold Farm
It all started back in April 2020.
Farmer Dot McCarthy decided to pop a message on the website that confirmed Cronkshaw Fold’s goats would be happy to get involved in any video calls moving ahead.
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If anyone wanted to invite a goat onto their next Zoom call, they could pay £5 and staff would make it happen.
But Dot didn’t actually expect people to get in touch.
“It was a joke!” she tells The Manc.
“Bored mates stuck doing home-working had shared stories about the mundanity of video calls so I said they should add a goat and see what their boss does.
“And now, yeah, it’s got a bit out of hand!”
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It definitely has – but in the best possible way.
Cronkshaw Fold’s goats have proven so camera-friendly that they’ve netted the farm over £50,000 – a vital lifeline at a time when doors have been shut to visitors.
The first two members of staff were hired just before the pandemic began, and whilst things looked bleak initially, the Goat Zoom service has successfully kept the duo in work.
Any extra money beyond the payroll will be put towards making the farm more eco-friendly – switching to renewable energy, electric vehicles and greener farming practices for the lowest carbon food production.
Almost one year on from launching, Zoom Goats is still a wild success – with people from all walks of life requesting the company of these furry farm animals for all kinds of reasons; from family breakfasts to butting in on marketing meetings.
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“The pranksters are the best!” says Dot.
“Anyone sneaking a goat in without any pre-explanation. The confusion and mild panic – ‘Is it a troll? No it’s a goat!’ – that ensues is hilarious.
“We’ve had all sorts; stag dos, toddler birthdays, family catch-ups – Gran and Grandad’s reactions are golden.
“We’ve even had meetings where there’s so many people the goat can go unseen… until it bleats in the middle of a speaker’s presentation.”
Anyone hoping to get themselves an interrupting goat can also take their pick from the different personalities on the farm – with a webpage packed with info dedicated to each individual animal.
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“Obviously this service is completely ridiculous, but that’s kind of the point,” says Dot.
“It’s funny because it is so mind-bendingly daft.”
Cronkshaw Fold has also grabbed headlines for running other innovative services involving its animals since lockdown – including virtual farm tours and bee adoption services.
Staff have also run Goat Yoga sessions in the past – where participants can “snuggle some goats at a safe distance from other humans”.
Naturally, with the current rules in place, this service is paused right now. But the farm is looking at potentially bringing back the exercise classes when restrictions are loosened a little later in the year.
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For now at least, Cronkshaw Fold Farm is focused on connecting people with animals via camera.
They’ve introduced bleating to meetings. And it’s tickled Britain pink.
Learn more about Cronkshaw Fold Farm’s Goats on Zoom service on their website.
Feature
You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us
Thomas Melia
We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office– including to those of us here in Manchester.
In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.
Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.
The gorgeous set up provided by RuubyLook at that lovely branding on the towels.They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)
In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.
The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.
If you’re feeling scepticalstill, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.
There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.
Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.
After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!Credit: The Manc Group
My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!
The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.
It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?
As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.
Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best
Daisy Jackson
At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.
And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.
This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.
And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.
Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.
The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.
Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.
Rag pudding at Albion Farm ShopChips with a side of bone broth gravy Those huge burgers
There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.
And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.
If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).
There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.
Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.
The resident cat at Albion Farm ShopRoast pork in the cafeThe Albion Farm Shop cafeAlbion Farm ShopInside the shop itselfThe produce barn Local cheesesBakery itemsThe produce barn
The Manc -
3rd February 2021 
