YORKSHIRE WILDLIFE PARK NAMED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
ROUNDING off a spectacular year, the norths outstanding wildlife attraction, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, has been named Business of the Year and awarded the Special Achievement Award at Doncaster Chamber Business Awards 2011.
Doncasters most prestigious business event, which recognises the towns most influential businesses, honoured the inspirational Yorkshire Wildlife Park at a glitzy ceremony for its contribution to the Doncaster economy and local business community.
Doncaster Chamber Chief Executive, Howard Gannaway said:
"Yorkshire Wildlife Park has made an outstanding start to business life in Doncaster and in the process taken Doncaster's visitor attraction offering to a new level.
Their use of iconic attractions such as the Romanian lions, Siberian tigers and Meerkats have been skillfully exploited to maximise their own visitor numbers but also to give Doncaster an additional new dimension to its brand that can be used by partner organisations in many different sectors. With a start like this who knows where they will go!"
As well as being given the Special Achievement award, YWP was heralded Business of the Year, judged by the Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, for its commercial growth and substantial contribution to the local economy since it opened in April 2009.
Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davis, said:
"Since they were launched in 2009, Yorkshire Wildlife Park has pioneered a totally different approach to wild animal attractions. Their innovative walk through wildlife adventure has been so successful that their visitors numbers have grown massively in their first three seasons of opening and in the process have almost singlehandedly rebranded Doncaster as a visitor attraction.
"Inspired management of print, visual and social media have been matched by a carefully planned development of the offering bringing yet more exciting animals into the heartland of Doncaster.
"The company has quickly become an integral part of the local business scene and has spent millions of pounds using local businesses.
Their commitment to the local community is clear from the loyalty of many, many repeat season ticket holders."
The news comes following the walkthrough wildlife parks outstanding year of gong victories, including being Highly Commended as Large Visitor Attraction of the Year by the tourism industry's prestigious White Rose Awards.
On hearing the news, Director of YWP, Cheryl Williams, said:
"We are absolutely thrilled to have been named Business of the Year by Doncaster Chamber. Our wonderful staff and loyal, committed visitors make it possible for us to provide the service we are proud to provide."
Doncaster Chamber honoured the Borough's most successful businesses and the people who work in them at a Gala dinner at Doncaster Racecourse.
The Awards are an opportunity to gain recognition for the hard work, achievement and success of businesses and the people at the heart of them.
Since opening in April 2009, Yorkshire Wildlife Park has spearheaded various campaigns for animal welfare, including the rescue of 13 lions from near-death at a rundown zoo in Romania. The lions now live in comfort at the Park's Lion Country.
One of South Yorkshire's newest attractions, situated in Branton, just outside Doncaster, the park occupies 70 acres of a 260 acre site and offers visitors a unique view into the lives of its animals with walkthrough areas including Lion Country, Lemur Woods, and the spectacular Land of the Tigers - the first tiger reserve of its kind in Europe. Plans are well underway for the opening of its next big enclosure, Leopard Heights, at Easter 2012.
Visitors also enjoy the park's global conservation mission - YWP brings families some of the world's most beautiful - and at risk - species.
With Conservation at the heart of what they do, the most endangered carnivore in Africa, the Painted Hunting Dog, can be seen at the Park, and on the African Plains', zebra, antelope, ankole cattle and ostrich roam free.
YWP is helping support local businesses and just three years since opening, it has already generated a staggering £3.4m to the Doncaster community.
Visiters to the Doncaster wildlife attraction have increased by 500%, with 323,000 guests recorded in year three, compared to 66,000 in its first year.
Last year, its lion rescue generated £1m worth of press coverage and got the zoo firmly on the family outings map, sparking a huge increase in visitors, which has grown ever since.
