A CHILDREN’S farm is preparing to transform into a music festival venue – and is making sure its animals play their part.

Staff at Big Sheep Little Cow farm centre in Bedale are expecting hundreds of visitors to enjoy a weekend of music for BAMfest – Bedale Acoustic Music Festival - from Friday, May 29 to Sunday, May 31.

Even some of the animals are being put through their paces in the build-up to the festival weekend, including Pierre the llama, who has been known to occasionally spit at visitors, who has been told to mend his ways, and William the donkey is getting special treatment so he can smile back at visitors when they wave at him.

Carol Clark, who runs Big Sheep Little Cow Farm, said: “This is the third time we have held BAMfest at the farm.

“It is a marvellous friendly weekend and we get lots of visitors, who camp in the grounds surrounded by our animals.

“We thought it was only right that the animals were told to mind their manners – so we’ve had two animal trainers working with William and Pierre.

“Omlette our feisty goose is proving a little harder to manage but rest assured we will make sure all our visitors have a fantastic time.”

The training sessions have been carried out by Kath and Jessica Charlton from Leyburn, who have previously held demonstrations at Wensleydale Festival of Food and Drink.

BAMfest is a three-day acoustic music event featuring more than 60 acts in concerts, pubs, and on the streets of the North Yorkshire market town.

Two marquees will be erected at Big Sheep Little Cow – a main 250-seat marquee will house main concerts across the weekend featuring acts such as BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Band - The Young’uns, plus Martin Stephenson and The Daintees, Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Henry Priestman, and Rod Clements from Lindisfarne.

New for 2015 is the introduction of a Farm Stage that will feature an eclectic mix of music alongside the main stage.

Other marquees will host children’s activities that will be taking place on Saturday, May 30 between 10am and 4pm and feature drama, drumming, ukulele and craft workshops.

The festival bar will serve beers supplied by BAMfest’s main sponsor, the Masham-based brewer T&R Theakston, and there will also be a cider bar, run by Orchards of Husthwaite.

Full details and tickets are on the festival website, www.bamfest.co.uk, at the festival office at Big Sheep Little Cow, and ticket hotline 07925-817116.