Industry News

Hall Hill Farm has been named the UKs best Farm Attraction at the 2022 National Farm Attraction Network Awards (NFAN).

The popular farm attraction near Lanchester, in County Durham, scooped two awards at the national event after being named Farm Attraction of the Year 2022 and Farm Attraction with the Best Digital Presence.

The accolades were announced by Jules Hudson, from Escape to the Country and Countryfile, in June at a glittering awards dinner as part of a three-day Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition in Newport, Wales. The annual awards recognise the best in the industry. This was the first NFAN Conference held since the Pandemic and farmer, Richard Darlington, was also a finalist in the ‘Lockdown Legend’ category.

The NFAN Farm Attraction of the Year is awarded to the attraction with under 75,000 annual visitors that has delivered the best overall customer experience and is a very competitive category. Hall Hill Farm has invested heavily in new facilities and attractions and the judges commented it has “Everything a young family would want for a trip out in the countryside”

The Best Digital Presence is awarded to the attraction whose own website and social media outperform in terms of its visibility, user-friendliness, and engagement.

The judge 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.” The farm has built up a following of over 270,000 people on Facebook from all over the world.

Farmer Richard’s daily video became essential viewing for many people during the lockdown, making the farm a destination with visitors from as far away as California, Australia and New Zealand. Now fully open again, Richard is still making daily videos of life on the farm, of which the main stars are the Farm’s Highland Cattle.

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 daily until the end of September. The award-winning Hall Hill Farm, a family-run tourist attraction in County Durham, has been providing children and families with an educational and fun day out for over 40 years. The farm has expanded steadily over the years and recently added new play areas and Mini Jeeps, with plans underway to improve the catering facilities in the future.

NFAN estimate there are approximately 400 farm and rural attractions welcoming 45 million visitors every year in the UK.