Fairytale Farm, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, was the UK’s fastest-growing farm attraction in 2016, according to official figures just released by Visit England.
Visit England’s ‘Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions’, which was published this month, shows that Fairytale Farm grew by 35.7% in 2016, compared to the previous year, more than any other attraction in the ‘Farm’ category.
Owner Nick Laister says: “Everybody at Fairytale Farm is delighted to find out that we grew more than any other farm in the Visit England survey. I think this is almost entirely down to the hard work of our staff, who are the friendliest you will find at any attraction, big or small. This means a lot to me because we were the first attraction in the UK to be designed with disabled children in mind as well as those who are not disabled, so we are open and accessible to all. This had not been done before, and it is really fantastic that our idea seems to be working so well.”
Fairytale Farm was opened in 2013 by the then Prime Minister, David Cameron. Mixing classic fairy tales, animals and adventure play, Fairytale Farm is loved by children of all ages. With an exciting adventure playground, the Enchanted Walk with a surprise around every corner, as well as a chance to meet their amazing animals, there is so much to see and do at the Farm.
Nick explains that the Farm is a sensory and learning wonderland for all the family: “Race a rubber duck along our pump-powered waterway or see a family of mice going about their daily business in our beautifully crafted indoor model village. Where else can you meet mermaids, rabbits, sleeping beauty, alpacas, rheas, sea horses, ducks, chickens and magic?”
This year is expected to see more growth, with the addition of loads of new attractions for 2017, Nick explains: “We are already over 30% up on last year, which is fantastic, so 2017 should see a repeat of the growth we had in 2016. This is largely due, I think, to word of mouth about our new attractions. We had brand new interactive features along the Enchanted Walk where visitors can press a button and find out what happens. Our visitors can also now have their picture taken by our Giant’s Camera and send it to themselves by email. We have revamped our unique Mouse Town, so visitors can experience the family of mice in a whole new light. We also have new animals in ‘Alfie & Friends’, our animal zone, including our new rare breed pigs who look like sheep with their curly coats! And we have a new ice cream kiosk in our adventure playground – called ‘All Things Nice’ – selling soft ice cream, slush, lovely coffee and much more.”
The farm is located on the A44 just outside Chipping Norton, and more details are on our website: www.fairytalefarm.co.uk.
