Here at Old Macdonald’s Farm we look forward to 2009 and thought we might have a quick run through some of the highlights of a fantastic 2008, then look forward to the year ahead.
We are delighted to say that we are now open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. so do come down and visit us at any time. However we are well aware that now more than ever you want and need value for money when you plan a day out for the family, so just consider what value for money we offer. We believe our entry fees are bargain prices, giving a cheap and low cost day out but superb quality with entertainment and education too. These are fun days for all as our thousands of visitors will confirm, and for even better value please look at our annual season tickets and off peak special passes too, as on this website.
We realise that the credit crunch is still likely to be with us for some time so here are our price promises to you all:
We will keep our entrance prices at great value for all with everything including in your entry fee and no hidden surprises once you are inside.
We will make sure your farmyard friends continue to be well looked after and will be adding new members to our family too.
We will offer our email list special offers right through the year.
Our Annual Passes, including Special Value Passes, will always be on offer to you.
We will provide great value for schools and special units throughout the year.
We will continue our award winning work on the environment as this cannot be forgotten just because times are a bit tough for us all.
We believe that we can provide the very best in a family day out, so for more information read on to see what an exciting year we had in 2008, and our priorities for 2009. Whilst you can read all about these elsewhere on our website, continue with this article for a precis of some of the high-points!
First of all, without blowing our own trumpets too hard (much as we like to) our major achievement was winning the East of England Tourist Board’s Award for Excellence for Sustainable Tourism as a reward for our innovative work on the environment, and in particular our involvement of children in educational aspects as typified by the superb and unique Tractorpult. Our pledge for 2009 is to continue this important work and we are at present undertaking two projects. The first is our map of the world showing food production and the impact on rare species. The second is the development of an educational programme for Trouble with the Truck which will focus on the environment, to go alongside the entertaining 10 minute sketch with Old Macdonald, Colonel Pipsqueek and the singing chickens!
Perhaps the summer programme this year was our favourite time, with the superb Local Heroes Day where we celebrated the work of the 999 services who, when not directing Linda Lusardi on the hard shoulder of the motorway so she can appear in pantomime, are saving lives and keeping us all safe. This was a great day, and I got to climb into a Fire Engine! We also brought the Seaside to Brentwood with our 21st Century Punch and Judy Show which was such a success that we invited them back time after time! Rest assured these successes will reappear in 2009, and we are busy thinking up new ideas to add to your entertainment (all included in the entry fee too, no extra charges here!).
As we are writing this in winter, it is a good time to mention our new indoor attractions such as the Barn Battles where children, and adults too, can fire soft balls at each other from cannons whilst more sensible adults (and children) enjoy light refreshments! Also Trouble With the Truck joined the Singing Frogs and the Chicken Show plus our indoor soft play area as attractions to enjoy should it rain, which it does from time to time here in Brentwood. Our indoor Rabbit Run is also something to behold as we upgraded this much to the delight of our bunnies who are now breeding like, well rabbits really!
So what is ahead for 2009? Our first priority is to improve our facilities for schools with lockers for children’s clothes (not for children themselves though) and also to work on our educational packs to emphasise the history of farming in Essex as well as our prize winning environmental programme and of course farm animals, the food chain and our more exotic creatures.
Secondly we will be welcoming back the Red Squirrel family, away for a while on a breeding programme (we should all be so lucky, I wonder how they qualified for that!) and they will be back in the Spring.
We will be improving our email newsletters, which have increased by 800% in recipients this year and I hope those of you on the list enjoy this, with the very special offers and price reductions that they contain.
Finally at this time we will continue to raise funds for our two chosen charities, Starlight Foundation for Seriously Ill Children and Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, with our Kids for a Quid specials in local papers and also for our email list, so that we offer great value for money as well as raise funds for worthwhile causes.
Finally, you will have seen on our other news pages about our Jess and her parachute jump. Well on December 6th Jess did jump and here are the photos and certificates to prove it. We are not sure about certificates, perhaps she should be certified! Nevertheless we are proud of her and are glad that we sponsored her to raise funds for charity in this way.
So, enough for now on a wonderful year. Can we match it? You bet we can and certainly will try.
