Best Small Visitor Attraction in the East of England!
Last Thursday, Ed and Anna joined tourism businesses from across Norfolk at the finals of the East of England Tourism Awards. It was a fantastic and optimistic evening that showcased the myriad opportunities for fun on a family holiday to Norfolk this year.
Having been selected as finalists in two categories, Accessible and Inclusive Tourism and Small Visitor Attraction of the Year, we were thrilled to get the bronze award in the former and to win the latter.
Up against stiff competition from Jimmy’s Farm and RSPB Minsmere, we were so proud to be in the shortlist for the Accessible and Inclusive award. Both Ed and Anna are passionate about making the reserve as inclusive as possible and the judge’s comments noted that the drive for inclusivity “is done with heart-felt warmth. It’s not majored on in a flag-waving manner, but done effectively, as part of the norm, which is a real plus.”
We have one fully accessible property for safari stays, Major’s Lodge and visitors staying there have wheelchair access to a state-of-the-art bird hide overlooking the main lake. We also have a wheelchair accessible trailer for tours and a ‘Special Tomato Soft Sitter’ seat for children who cannot sit unsupported in a buggy. We are constantly learning how to improve the site further and last year all our staff received training in supporting visitors living with dementia.
Winning Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year was an incredibly proud moment, especially given the extraordinary calibre of competitors. The recognition of both the unique nature and high quality of our offering are so important to the morale of our team and will give confidence to the inter-generational market that we serve that we are an animal attraction that is well worth visiting!
Our tours are live and April dates are being snapped up fast! We have added more trailer tours this year in order to ensure access is possible at a lower price point and we have also made our afternoon tour considerably later 17.30 – 19.00. We’re hoping this gives afternoon visitors the perfect excuse to experience a drive thru safari and then visit the Angel in Watlingon, our multi-award winning local pub which won Bronze for the best pub in the East of England and has recently gained its first rosette.
