Footfall doubles at Cheshire farm attraction following expansion

A farm attraction in Cheshire has seen visitor numbers soar after undergoing a multi-million pound revamp earlier this year.

The Ice Cream Farm completed a £4.5m refurbishment with funding from NatWest and, since reopening in the summer, has seen the number of people visiting its Tattenhall site double.

The company’s director, Jonathan Fell, said: “Over the past five years, more than £1m has been spent on a complete remodelling and reinvention of the Ice Cream Farm importantly without compromising the core values and commercial philosophy on which the success of business has been built.

“More than doubling of visitor numbers in that time has justified the high level of investment and proves the effectiveness of improving the site and developing new attractions.”

He added: “Since reopening the site this summer we have seen visitor numbers double compared with the same period last year.”

The Ice Cream Farm, set around a 10,700 sq ft ice cream parlour, comprises indoor and outdoor play facilities, mini golf and an animal area.

The refurbishment work saw the creation of a new indoor play area, as well as a new gift shop and ice cream parlour. NatWest funding was also used to enhance the outdoor play area.

Iain Pemberton, a relationship manager at NatWest, provided a £2.25m loan to The Ice Cream Farm with the support of director Julian Brooks.

Iain commented: “I have worked closely with Jonathan for over 15 years and seen the farm grow through his vision throughout this period so supporting his judgement with this latest phase was easy and we were delighted to support The Ice Cream Farm on this development project.

“Due the scale of the project it was a long process but we worked hand in hand with the client from inception to opening to ensure it was delivered to a tight timescale The Ice Cream Farm is a fantastic attraction which visitors from around the country come to enjoy and we wish the business every success for the future.”