National Farm Attractions Network have announced the 30 UK rural attractions and industry suppliers that have reached the finals of their national farm awards.
Farm awards include the Farm Attraction of the year, innovation award and best food and beverage award.
Colin Evans, NFAN Chairman, said: “today we announce the list of finalists in the annual awards. The farm park sector continues to grow and develop with new attractions opening and existing operators investing in new facilities. The standard of entries has been exceptionally high making some tough decisions for the judges.”
“The awards celebrate excellence in our sector and recognise the innovators of new attractions and special events, farm parks who provide outstanding education, the best cafés and restaurants, the leading digital marketers and the customer service champions. We also recognise the key role played by the companies who supply our members, with the Best Trade Supplier of the year award.”
Finalists for the prestigious Jim Keetch Farm Attraction of the Year (over 75,000 visitors) include Farmer Ted’s, West Lancashire; Hobbledown, Surrey; and Willows Activity Farm, Hertfordshire.
In 2017, the Chief Executive of Willows Activity Farm was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award. In an earlier interview with Blooloop, Wolfe Said: “Without a doubt, farm parks are moving on. They used to be bolt-on businesses on the side of farm businesses, or shops. But now there are an increasing number that are operating as serious visitor attractions, and the farm side is secondary.”
The finalists for Best Trade Supplier include Timberplay, Sheffield; Outdoor Play People, Cornwall; and Innovative Leisure, Leicester.
The full list of finalists and award categories is available on the NFAN website.
The winners will be announced on the 31st January, as part of the annual three-day conference.
The National Farm Attractions Network (NFAN) is the trade association for farm parks and rural attractions in the UK with over 200 farm attraction members and 100 trade members. There are over 20 million visits annually to farm parks in the UK, and over 6000 people are employed by farm parks.
