TWO years ago the future of the Cogges Farm Museum looked bleak.

In 2009, the Witney facility closed when it began to record losses and the annual £240,000 funding it needed to survive was withdrawn by Oxfordshire County Council.

But yesterday, despite heavy rain, the future looked set to be bright once again for the visitor attraction as parents, children, and food lovers arrived in their droves to celebrate its reopening.

Volunteer-run Cogges Heritage Trust has taken over the museum and is hoping, with the help of Witney residents, to place the facility back at the heart of the community.

Visitors to the museum, in Church Lane, enjoyed bird displays, cooking demonstrations and tucked into food samples from local producers, with treats from North Africa, Lebanon and Italy.

Children got their hands dirty in the ‘mud pie cooking area’, while parents browsed the farmer’s market nearby.

Enjoying being allowed to make a mess were Aiden Holman, four, of Cogges, and sisters Martha, four, and Lily, six, Sherwood, of Weavers Close, Witney.

Dad Paul Sherwood said he thought it was great that so many people had come along.

He said: “It’s always been a nice place to have in the centre of town. We used to come here for picnics.

“It’s good they are pushing the food side of things, so children, and adults, can learn more about it.”

Little Lola Greenan, five, did not let the rain stop her from tasting all the food on offer.

Mother Claire Potter said she preferred the direction the museum was taking now.

She said: “Before it wasn’t directed at children or adults particularly, it was something in between.

“Now it’s great. There is lots for the children to get involved in. And Lola’s enjoyed trying the food.”

Fifty per cent of the museum’s running costs will come from admission fees, with the rest made from rent from business enterprises setting up on the museum site.

Museum trustee Judy Niner said what visitors witnessed yesterday was very much a work in progress.

She said: “This is the beginning of bigger things to come.

“Now, we would very much like people to come forward with ideas which can use the Cogges brand, or perhaps for a small business which reflects the ethos of what we are doing here.”

The Real Food Café is among the first businesses to set up at the site. It will sell food, coffee, bread and cakes.

Weekend entry is £5 for adults and £2.50 for five-to-16 year olds and free on weekdays.