Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park in Suffolk has been named England’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2026 Visit England Awards, beating more famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. The wildlife park, owned by TV presenter and conservationist Jimmy Doherty, won gold in the category at a ceremony held on 3 June at Aerospace Bristol.
The park is home to Europe’s largest polar bear facility, the Lost Lands of the Tundra, which houses rescue polar bears alongside brown bears, Arctic foxes, grey wolves, reindeer and red-breasted geese. The bears are visible from trains on the London–Ipswich line. Other animals include camels, primates, tapirs, crocodiles, and lions and a tiger added in October 2025.
Jimmy’s Farm also won the Visitor Attraction of the Year award at the 2026 Suffolk and Norfolk Tourism Awards. It has 1,800 five-star reviews on Tripadvisor out of 2,400 total. One visitor described it as “a well thought out place, extremely conducive and focused on giving the animals the best possible environment to flourish.”
Second place went to Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the World War II code-breaking site, while bronze was awarded to Attwell Farm Park in Worcestershire, a family-run petting farm. The awards featured 17 categories, including Regenerative Tourism and Accessible and Inclusive Tourism.
Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock praised the winners, saying: “I am delighted to see so many businesses across England being recognised for their outstanding work.” VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes added: “These awards showcase the exceptional quality that makes England’s tourism industry world-leading.”
