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Primary Times Dorset Reader Star Award Winners 2018
The very best of what Devon has to offer local families can now be revealed in this year’s Primary Times Reader Star Awards results.
The results, which can now be revealed, give the winners’ a well-deserved round of applause…
And this year’s winners are…
This year, the This year, the highly desired Family Attraction award was split into two categories to accommodate the places where people like to spend their time for a full day out and for a half day out.
Winning the Family Attraction Award (for a Full Day Out), for the second consecutive year, was Adventure Wonderland. This much-loved attraction adds a real spark with its fun character days, entertaining shows and new events year-on-year. This added interest, along with its existing fun rides and indoor Wild Thing play area, clearly hits the mark with local families who visit the park regularly. Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park was the runner-up in this category.
The discounted online offers and reasonable membership rates make a visit to Adventure Wonderland fantastic value, enabling it to pick up the top prize in a new category this year: the ‘Best Value for Money Attraction’. Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park was the runner-up in this group.
A new award this year was that of the best Family Attraction for a half day out. This category was created to include attractions that people may visit, perhaps, for a few hours but on a frequent basis, or attractions that offer timed schedules. The Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park was chosen as the winning attraction in this category. This beautiful attraction is a big hit with Primary Times’ readers and its wide range of events, captivating talks and hands-on activities tempts local families to return again and again. The runner-up in this category was Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, with its huge range of well-priced children’s activities and workshops.
The importance and value of outdoor play and its positive effects on children makes the Outdoor Play category a particularly significant one. Moors Valley Country Park and Forest won this category, closely followed by Adventure Wonderland. As for Indoor Play Centres, these are considered a crucial part of British family life as the weather is often so unsettled, so the merit of winning the Indoor Play award is seen as a highly valued prize. Lemur Landings won the Indoor Play Centre award, with Monkey Madness coming a close second.
The thrilling displays and family orientated activities at the Bournemouth Air Festival, enabled it to be chosen as the favourite Local Fair, Show or Festival for 2018. The second highest number of votes in this category went to the Great Dorset Steam Fair.
The highly prized category of Party Venue and Entertainer is always fiercely contested as the quality of party entertainment in the area is first class. Adventure Wonderland acquired the highest number of votes, largely because of its good-value for money party packages, whilst the variety of parties available at Monkey Madness tipped it to second spot.
A new award introducing a Free Local Family Event was won by Bournemouth Air Festival. Ringwood Carnival was runner-up in this category.
The blue-ribbon category, that of Overall Winner, asked readers to think about their favourite attraction which offered them the best overall experience. Collectively, readers chose Adventure Wonderland as their Overall Winner for 2018, gaining 25% of the overall votes. Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park scooped the runner’s-up prize in this prestigious category.
Linda Edwards, Publishing Editor at Primary Times Dorset said: “We are so grateful to our readers for their valued contribution to our Reader Star Awards. The results are incredibly insightful and allow us to take a glimpse into the minds of local people, discovering what the children enjoy and what attractions are hitting the mark with the ever-changing needs of families. We would like to applaud all the individual winners of each category and congratulate them on their success".
"In particular, we would like to commend Adventure Wonderland on winning the particularly significant Overall Winner award for the second consecutive year. Adventure Wonderland’s impressive ability to offer a wide variety of events, shows and character visits keeps them in a strong position as market leader in the area. Winning several awards across several categories is an example of consistent practice and good management. We look forward to seeing what the next twelve months will bring and how the local attractions and venues will evolve and develop.”
Primary Times Dorset Primary Times Reader Star Awards 2018
Family Attraction (Full Day Out).jpg)
• Winner: Adventure Wonderland
• Runner up: Farmer Palmers Farm Park
Family Attraction (Half Day Out)
• Winner: Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park
• Runner up: Moors Valley Country Park and Forest
Indoor Play / Activity Centre
• Winner: Lemur Landings
• Runner up: Monkey Madness
Free Local Family Event
• Winner: Bournemouth Air Festival
• Runner up: Ringwood Carnival
Outdoor Play Centre
• Winner: Moors Valley Country Park and Forest
• Runner up: Adventure Wonderland
Local Fair, Show or Festival.JPG)
• Winner: Bournemouth Air Festival
• Runner up: Great Dorset Steam Fair
Party Venue / Entertainer.jpg)
• Winner: Adventure Wonderland
• Runner up: Monkey Madness
Best Value for Money Attraction
• Winner: Adventure Wonderland
• Runner up: Farmer Palmers Farm Park
Overall Winner
• Winner: Adventure Wonderland (25% of the votes)
• Runner up: Farmer Palmers Farm Park