A popular farm attraction in Durham has scooped a national award after being named the UKs ‘Farm Attraction of the Year’.
The award-winning Hall Hill Farm, a family-run tourist attraction on the edge of the Durham Dales, has been providing children and families with an educational and fun day out for over 35 years. Their latest award comes from the National Farm
Attractions Network, which celebrates the best in the farm attractions sector.
Topping the list of attractions with under 75,000 visitors, Hall Hill Farm beat off stiff competition from a shortlist including farm attractions in Wales, Worcestershire and East Sussex to take the title.
Ann Darlington, Tourism Development Manager at Hall Hill Farm said: “ We are absolutely thrilled. Last year we had our best ever year in terms of visitor numbers at Hall Hill Farm and I would like to thank all of our amazing staff who work incredibly hard at ensuring our visitors enjoy a great day out. I’d also like to thank our visitors, many of whom return time and time again, for supporting us.”
Hall Hill Farm, which employs up to 50 people, welcomes nearly 75,000 visitors every year attracted by the family fun on offer and the opportunities to see and touch animals at close quarters. Visitors can bottle feed lambs, see fluffy chicks, inquisitive goats, magnificent Highland Cattle and get close to children’s favourites such as guinea pigs and rabbits, as well as enjoy crazy golf, the jumping pillow or a tractor or donkey ride around the beautiful countryside. The popular Playbarn also provides a fun indoor soft-play area for families to enjoy as well as shelter from the rain or find shade from the sun.
The award was announced on at a glittering awards dinner as part of a three-day Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition in Brighton. Hall Hill Farm were also finalists in the Best in Education category.
Farm parks are one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK visitor attraction’s market according to research from Visit England. The National Farm Attractions Network (NFAN) is at the heart of the industry and celebrates the sector’s champions with its annual awards.
Colin Evans, NFAN Chairman, says “The NFAN annual awards celebrate the best of the best in the farm attractions sector. With over 20 million visits annually, farm attractions are one of the success stories of UK domestic tourism. Our members provide jobs for over 6000 people, and in the rural communities where they are based will often be one of the largest employers. We welcome hundreds of thousands of school children a year onto our farms to teach them about farming and show them where their food comes from.”
Hall Hill Farm will re-open for the 2017 season on Saturday 18 February and will open daily from 10.30am until 4pm during the February half-term school holidays.
Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Durham, Hall Hill Farm is an award-winning mixed farm of 290 hectares. The multi award winning farm provides a great day out for children and schools with loads of great things to do and see. For more information: www.hallhillfarm.co.uk