Hall Hill Farm near Lanchester, was shortlisted in two categories in the North East England Tourism Awards picking up SILVER in Tourism Experience of the Year and BRONZE for Small Visitor Attraction. The Awards that celebrate the strength and breadth of the region's tourism industry were announced on Thursday 21 November at an award ceremony at St James Park in Newcastle on Tyne and were hosted by BBC Look North Presenter Carol Malia.

Hall Hill Farm near Lanchester, was shortlisted in two categories in the North East England Tourism Awards picking up SILVER in Tourism Experience of the Year and BRONZE for Small Visitor Attraction.

The Awards that celebrate the strength and breadth of the region’s tourism industry were announced on Thursday 21 November at an award ceremony at St James Park in Newcastle on Tyne and will be hosted by BBC Look North Presenter Carol Malia.

Ann Darlington, tourism manager at Hall Hill Farm said: “These awards are great news for everyone at Hall Hill Farm. We continually do our best to offer our customers a memorable experience, and this is evidence that our hard work is translating into positive experiences for all our visitors.

"Just being short-listed alongside an event that was as big and popular as the Lindisfarne Gospels is great. I am thrilled with our silver and bronze awards, especially for the hard working staff, that their efforts are being recognised and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to Hall Hill Farm in December and throughout next year."

Hall Hill Farm received two national accolades earlier this year from TripAdvisor and the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. In addition in 2011 Hall Hill Farm won the small visitor attraction category in the North East England Tourism Awards and in 2010 the farm attraction won the Gold award for best tourism experience and then went on to be named “Farm Attraction of the Year” nationally by the National Farm Attraction Network.

Hall Hill Farm aims to be both educational and entertaining as a farm attraction, helping to tell the story of the north east countryside. This year the Durham farm streamed the lambing process into people’s homes where via PCs and laptops viewers could watch live births with the many new arrivals during this year’s lambing season. Through social media people could comment and ask questions, and become better informed about rural issues. The farms annual sheep shearing events are watched by hundreds of people; and the new sheep racing proved very popular with visitors during the summer.

Hall Hill Farm, which employs up to 50 people, welcomes thousands of visitors every year attracted by the family fun on offer and the opportunities to see and touch animals at close quarters. Visitors can bottle feed lambs, see fluffy chicks, inquisitive goats, magnificent Highland Cattle and get close to children’s favourites such as guinea pigs and rabbits, as well as enjoy a tractor or donkey ride around the beautiful countryside. The popular Playbarn also provides a fun indoor play area for families to enjoy as well as shelter from the rain or find shade from the sun.