A FARMER is about to open a garden centre after combining his passion for agricultural history with his son's desire to change the way he farms.

Mark Noble and his father, Bill, have built a garden centre and antiques shop with the help of funding from Defra's Rural Enterprise Scheme.

Mr Noble snr has been collecting agricultural tools for years and will now be selling parts of his collection through the new family enterprise.

The chance to diversify will also allow his son to move to a less intensive way of farming, which he hopes will have greater benefits for the environment and wildlife in the area.

The

Agricultural equipment sale at the Victoria Farm Garden Centre, Sneaton, near Whitby, opens today.