A Staffordshire family adventure farm is to open for the summer holidays now the government has announced the re-opening of rural attractions across England which last year were enjoyed by over 25 million visitors.
FCM client, the National Forest Adventure Farm, in Tatenhill, near Burton upon Trent, will welcome visitors back to the farm on Saturday 18th July to provide 40 acres of safe outdoor family fun for its roarsome Dino Summer event, which includes a 9-acre maze.
To ensure visitors are safe, the farm has put additional health and safety measures and controls in place to meet the guidance provided by the government.
The family friendly farm attraction, which is owned by brothers Tom and Ivor Robinson, is well known for its annual themed maize maze, which by mid-August towers over 2m high. This year the site has been enhanced to provide plenty of space for families to get outside and enjoy a variety of fun activities together while still meeting social distancing rules.
The maize maze has been specifically designed with government health and safety guidance in mind. Visitors can explore the 3m wide paths in separate family groups looking for dinosaurs hidden deep in the maze, a thrilling Raptor Run to retrieve dinosaur eggs while evading the velociraptor hidden among the maize plants and a chance to get up close to the interactive velociraptor and T-Rex for a terrifying selfie.
The new attraction is opening after Tom, who is also the chairman of the National Farm Attraction Network which supports the diversification of farms across the UK, has spent the past few months working alongside DeFRA, Visit UK, the National Farmers Union (NFU) and other government and trade organisations to produce safe guidelines for the opening of farm visitor attractions.
He said: “The safety of our visitors is always our priority, as a farm we are used to having high hygiene expectations but have gone above and beyond to enhance all of our facilities in a way which provides a safe, controlled environment to welcome families back to enjoy our outdoor activities.
“Our Dino Summer will be a great way for families to get out and about and enjoy some much-needed family time together. With acres of open countryside, the farm is perfect for exploring while meeting the farm animals and taking part in lots of outdoor activities.”
The National Forest Adventure Farm is a family attraction based just outside Burton on Trent on farmland owned by the Robinson family since 1970.
It contains 40 acres of open space including pedal Go-Karts, Frisbee golf, Jurassic Canyon sand and fossil dig, tractor rides, a spacious animal barn with goats, chickens, pigs, horses, cows, rabbits and guinea pigs, JCB Big Dig Zone and giant jumping pillows.
NEW this summer, there will be extended opening times for the tractor rides and animal petting sessions which will now run continuously throughout the day. There will also be NEW takeaway facilities onsite to allow families to purchase a variety of meals and snacks to eat on site or takeaway at the end of their visit.
The Dino maze will be the 16th year a maize maze has been held at the Postern Road site after the tradition started in 2004. Since then the annual maze is planted in the 9-acre field each year in May and then carefully crafted with a theme carved out in the twisting paths.
As a farm attraction there are always strict hygiene practices in place. However, a number of NEW measures will be in operation when the park reopens including having a dedicated team of cleaners working throughout the day, extra wash facilities and hand sanitising stations as well as alterations to the current toilet block to create a one-way system.
Admission numbers will be limited and visitors will need to pre-book a dedicated time slot either in the morning or afternoon, as the farm will undergo a deep clean for an hour in the middle of the day between the two sessions. All 22 staff have been fully trained and will be formed into their own working ‘bubbles’ on site to limit interaction.
Note – the indoor space, including a three-storey soft play centre and restaurant will also be closed until further notice to meet government guidelines.
Dino Summer runs every day from Saturday 18th July to Tuesday 1st September 2020. Online bookings open on Monday 13th July with tickets available at www.adventurefarm.co.uk priced from £7.99 to £9.99.
More details:
The National Farm Attraction Network Statistics
The National Farm Attraction Network (NFAN) has 219 members across the UK. A recent survey in April found that the attractions contribute £300,000,000 collectively to the rural economy and support in excess of 13,500 direct jobs. They also welcome nearly 25,000,000 visitors each year across the UK.
How is the farm keeping visitors safe?
For safety reasons a number of new measures have been put in place to meet social distancing guidelines, including stringent cleaning rotas while the park is open, additional deep cleaning in between sessions, limited capacity, staff bubbles to limit interaction and one-way systems in operation where needed.
Here is a guide to how the farm has enhanced the site:
Before arriving
The farm attraction is now a cashless site so all tickets will be booked and paid for online.
Visitors will be asked to book a morning or afternoon session so that they can make the most of their visit.
The morning session will run from 9.30am until 1.30pm and the afternoon session will be 2.30pm until 6.30pm.
At the farm
On arriving, the entrance to the site will allow one family group to access the foyer at a time where they can scan their pre-booked tickets and collect the animal feed, if pre-paid, from the foyer.
New hand sanitiser facilities have been distributed throughout the park to allow guests to use hand sanitiser before and after each activity.
Additional hand washing facilities are also located in the park, with the existing toilets widened to accommodate a one-way system.
Dedicated teams of cleaning staff will continually work throughout the day across all areas of the park with each activity sprayed and cleaned after every use.
A one hour shut down of the site will take place between 1.30pm and 2.30pm, in between sessions, to allow a further deep clean of the site every day.
All 22 staff will operate in separate bubble systems to make sure that there is minimal interaction between staff members and have been fully trained.
Limited numbers of families will be allowed onto the site per session as well as limits placed on the number of families allowed to use each activity at any one time to maintain social distancing.
Perspex screening will be used in front of areas which involve interaction with staff.
One-way systems have been introduced where necessary on each of the activities to maintain safe movement across the park and clear signage has been put in place to help facility your visit.
The restaurant and indoor play area will be closed with takeaway food facilities in the courtyard providing a variety of snacks and meal options.
There is also a brand-new opportunity to order your meals and take them home with you at the end of your visit.
After your visit
To meet contact tracing regulations customers details will be safely stored for 21 days after visiting so that contact can be made if required under the regulations.
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