Welcome to our very first weekly round up for the Where the Flock campaign. Our themes this week were Places to Take Your Family and Places to Buy Amazing Gifts. Thanks to the brilliant suggestions of our social media followers, we have spent the week researching the cream of the crop of rural attractions. This blog contains a summary of all the businesses we have added to our digital guide to the British countryside between 8th and 12th April.
If you have any other examples of amazing rural businesses people can visit, please let us know! You can nominate a business either by filling in the form at the bottom of this page, commenting on one of our social media posts, or using the hashtags #wheretheflock and #thisisrural
Places to take your family – #taketheherd
William’s Den, East Riding
William’s Den is an exciting, rural and natural visitor attraction with a range of facilities tailored to families. It offers outdoor and indoor play, a family-friendly 120 seat restaurant, Snack Box, a gift shop and is open year-round. William’s Den aims to give children the chance to connect with nature and get active.
To find out more, go to www.williamsden.co.uk
The Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park, Dorset
The Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park is a family attraction and conservation centre for Rare Breed Heavy Horses. This unique visitor attraction has been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 7 years running, and offers an educational and hands-on countryside experience.
To discover how to visit for yourself, head to www.dorset-heavy-horse-centre.co.uk
Places to buy amazing gifts – #gothewholehog
Hurn & Hurn, Norfolk
Hurn & Hurn is a family-run online home and design store with a boutique feel that stocks unique and original home-ware, home accessories, lighting and gifts for the modern home and stylish individual. Their motto is “Discover the unusual”, and that’s what you’ll find if you visit their website.
To browse their beautiful products, go to www.hurnandhurn.com
A Farmer’s Daughter, Staffordshire
A Farmer’s Daughter has created a unique collection of stationery and giftware products, designed in Staffordshire by founder Helen Thomstone, and made using British suppliers, printers, and manufacturers. Helen’s family farm is located in beautiful countryside, and the farming landscape, hedgerows, livestock and wildlife are all part of her inspiration.
To see more of Helen’s designs, visit www.afarmersdaughter.co.uk
Meg Hawkins, Shropshire
Meg Hawkins is an independent watercolour artist who works in rural Shropshire. She creates images reflecting the countryside and wildlife around her and adds a modern twist on the traditional. Her art is reproduced in a range of stationery and gifts, designed to bring life and happiness to any home. Meg’s beautiful new shop is located in Pride Hill Shopping Centre, Shrewsbury.
To have a look at Meg’s range of gifts, head to www.meghawkins.co.uk
To learn more about Where the Flock, head to its webpage: www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk/where-the-flock