VisitEngland Quality Marque awarded to Matlock Farm Park
Popular Peak District attraction Matlock Farm Park, located between Matlock and Chesterfield, is celebrating after recently becoming a VisitEngland accredited visitor attraction.
The farm park has been sited as a strong example of its type and evidence of high quality and standards was seen by judges across the visitor journey. A high overall score of 88% was awarded across areas including the attraction itself, catering, retail and toilets, with the rating for staff performance excelling at 95% and cleanliness 96%.
Lotty Hawkins, Communications Manager of Matlock Farm Park, said: We’re delighted to have been recognised by Visit England in this way. It’s testament to our hard-working team and a desire to really give a wide range of visitors the best experience possible”.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, the park has seen many changes over the years since its humble beginnings of a few outdoor animal pens, small animal barn and a 15-seater tearoom.
Now several times the size, it is home to a wide range of native and non-native animals. Activities include sheep racing, meerkat talks and alpaca trekking, with facilities such as multi-zone play areas, a horse-riding school, café, function rooms and a Changing Places facility. Special events take place throughout the year.
The attraction took gold in the 2023 Peak District & Derbyshire’s Tourism Awards for Best Visitor Attraction and won the Accessible & Inclusive award.
Managing Director and founder Allan Finlay said: “We’ve really surpassed everything we set out to do. My background was hospitality and my wife Virginia’s was farming – we started the park off just as a little hobby to do together. I look now at being awarded the VisitEngland Quality Marque and what we’ve achieved to bring visitors such enjoyment and I feel immensely proud”.
The successful attraction has also been added to the X17 bus service, giving visitors to Chesterfield the opportunity to use public transport to visit Matlock Farm Park. The bus will stop at the park twice a day for both outward journeys (stopping mid-morning and lunchtime), and return journeys (lunchtime and late afternoon).
Chesterfield is the perfect base to explore Derbyshire and the Peak District for ideas of things to do and places to stay head to our visiting page
Matlock Farm Park supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
