A County Durham farm attraction has been the best in the UK at the 2022 National Farm Attraction Network Awards.
Hall Hill Farm, near Lanchester, scooped two awards at the national event where it was named Farm Attraction of the Year and Farm Attraction with the Best Digital Presence. It follows on from farmer Richard Darlington taking bronze in the Unsung Hero Award at this year's North East Tourism Awards held in March.
The National Farm Attraction is given to the attraction with less than 75,000 annual visitors that has delivered the best overall customer experience, with judges deeming the County Durham farm to have: "Everything a young family would want for a trip out in the countryside." Not only does it have a range of interactive experiences with animals, but also tractor rides, crazy golf and an adventure play area - and minijeeps have recently been added too.
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The farm's second award came for having the Best Digital Presence, which is given to attractions whose website and social media outperform in terms of visibility, user-friendliness and engagement. Much of that came from Richard Darlington, who made daily videos from the farm during lockdown - making the farm a destination for visitors from as far away as California, Australia and New Zealand, with Hall Hill having built up a following of over 270,000 on Facebook. .
Now the farm is full open again, Richard is still making daily videos of life on the farm, with the main stars being Highland Cattle. He was also a finalist in the 'Lockdown Legend' category at the awards ceremony.
Judges commented: "Richard from Hall Hill Farm has shown a real talent for communicating with the customer through social media and has extended the farm’s marketing reach around the world through regular commitment to Facebook Live broadcasts. It is a great example of being positive and making the best out of a bad situation."
Both accolades were announced by Jules Hudson, from Escape to the Country and Countryfile at an awards ceremony in Newport, Wales as part of a three-day Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition. The annual awards recognise the best in the industry and this was the first NFAN Conference held since the pandemic.
Ann Darlington, Tourism Manager at Hall Hill Farm said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win these prestigious awards. The pandemic has been tough for many people, and we are pleased if we have helped people in a small way to get through that. It is also brilliant to see so many people back at Hall Hill Farm in person."
"I would like to thank all our staff who work hard at ensuring our visitors enjoy a great day out. Also a special thanks to our visitors, many of whom return time and time again, for supporting us."
Hall Hill Farm is open until the end of September. For more information about the farm, visit its website.
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