Birds flock together for the opening of the new African Wetlands themed Aviary in the Okavango Delta zone at Folly Zoo

2nd February 2012, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: In celebration of World Wetlands Day, Folly Farm today unveiled its latest enclosure, the African Wetlands Aviary.  Located in the Okavango Delta zone of theIn celebration of World Wetlands Day on the 2nd February, Folly Farm unveiled its latest enclosure, The African Wetlands Aviary.  Located in the Okavango Delta zone of the zoo, the new aviary will create a sense of arrival with stunning looking large, brightly coloured birds typical of the African Wetlands.  Two bright green, white-cheeked Turacos, donated by the RSCPA have been joined by three female Ibis from Blackpool Zoo to accompany Folly Farm's existing three male Ibis and Crowned Night Heron.  There was also a surprise bonus delivery of two large White Storks from Blackpool Zoo, birds which are often associated with special deliveries of their own.

Tim Morphew, Zoo Manager at Folly Farm, explained; "At the last minute we were offered the chance to have some White Storks from Blackpool Zoo and as they fitted the plan beautifully we were only too happy to take delivery of these stunning looking birds which due to their size help create a real wow factor for visitors.

"This new enclosure is all about setting the scene for the Okavango Delta zone of the zoo and these stunning birds will help acheive that through their bright colours, size and Wetland birdsong."

The Turacos were donated to Folly Farm as part of an RSPCA rehoming exercise following one of the largest ever seizures of neglected birds.  Turacos are bright green birds with a red underside which only reveals itself when they are in flight.

The aviary itself has been created with the bird's natural habitat in mind, with a pond and a variety of plants to provide shade and colour.  A large stable also provides individual rooms for each of the species to nest in.

The new aviary adds to the Okavango Delta zone at Folly Farm which is already home to the African Crowned Cranes, a family group of Sitatunga (small African Antelope) and a breeding group of Cusimanse (slender-nosed Mongoose).

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- Folly Farm launches its Education Programme with Africa Day and Outreach Workshops

16 November 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Folly Farm has launched an Education Programme for primary schools which includes Outreach Workshops and a special themed education day on Africa.  The curriculum linked education programme aims to encourage school visits throughout the main season as well as the traditional end of term treat and will include topics such as Mini Beasts, Conservation and Habitats for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils.  Spiny Stick Insects, Madascan Hissing Cockroaches, Giant Land Snails, Locusts and Giant Millipedes are just some of the creatures which will enjoying excursions to classrooms as part of the Outreach Workshops.  Drumming workshops, zoo keeper led tours, Fairtrade talks and a puppet theatre show will help bring Africa Day alive for school children.

Victoria Smathers, Education and Marketing Manager, enthused; "After a period of consultation with teachers and education specialists we're confident that our Outreach Workshops meet school's needs in terms of providing focussed workshops in the classroom prior to a fun filled visit to Folly Farm.

"I'm really looking forward to Africa Day which will be a fun-packed and inspirational four hour educational experience."

Africa Day is a lively programme of activities where pupils will be immersed in everything African including a fabulous theatre production by Puppetcraft, one of Britain's most acclaimed puppet theatre companies performing "Circle of Tales", a hunt for the traditional stories of African animals.  Also included in the day are African drumming workshops, Fairtrade talks, in depth zoo keeper led tours on our African animals and an interactive hands-on session. Tickets are £6 per person and spaces are limited and advance booking is essential.

The Outreach Workshops are being delivered by trained education professionals who will take the Folly Farm experience and its mission to "educate and entertain" into classrooms.  Accompanying the Workshop Facilitators will be some of Folly Farm's creepy crawlies to help bring the curriculum-linked sessions on Mini Beasts, Habitats and Conservation to life.  Workshops can be booked in conjunction with a school visit - the treat bit of the education offering - by contacting Victoria Smathers on 01834 815030 or by emailing victoria@folly-farm.co.uk

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- The Folly Farm cauldron is overflowing with lots of spooky ingredients for family fun this Halloween with freaky face painting, creepy pet handling and Jugglestruck's UV Wonder Show

19 October 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  If you go into Folly Interactive this Halloween, you'd better not go alone!  Snakes, giant land snails and the fabulous Eurasian Eagle Owl are just some of the creatures you can meet in the Creepy Pet Handling sessions in Folly Farm's sensory education centre this half term.  Then once you've had your fill of fear you can scare your family with some freaky face painting or run wild in the Spooky Woods (usually known as Carousel Woods!).  Folly Farm's Zoo Keepers will also be keeping their animals amused with some Halloween Enrichment Activities.  Last year the Meerkats really enjoyed trying to get mealworms out of a pumpkin.

Tim Morphew, Folly Farm's Zoo Manager, added; "Since the completion of Folly Interactive last year visitors to Folly Farm have got used to meeting some pretty creepy creatures but this Halloween we're bringing out our Eurasian Eagle and Barn Owls as well as our Royal Python snakes!  Wing of owl and tongue of snake, a recipe for fun will make!"

Folly Farm's Spooky Halloween event runs from 22nd - 30 October 2011.  Opening times from 10am until 5pm.  Jugglestruck's UV Wonder Show is at 1pm daily.

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- Expectant Zoo Keeper Dad gets hands-on experience hand-rearing a baby Capybara after it goes missing presumed dead for 36 hours

03 October 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Folly Farm's Zoo Manager, Tim Morphew, has spent the week running up to taking paternity leave hand-rearing a baby Capybara born, along with its five siblings, in front of delighted keepers and visitors at the popular attraction near Tenby.  Capybara babies are up and active immediately much like their much smaller relative, the Guinea Pig, and a member of the public spotted that one of the babies had fallen into the pond on which the Capybara live.  Capybara can swim from birth but they are not very strong swimmers initially.  A search of the pond threw no light as to the whereabouts of the baby and it was missing presumed dead.  The following afternoon zoo keepers heard a small cry and there in a small hollow of the bank behind a rock was the missing baby which had survived by itself for 36 hours.  Capybara's are extremely territorial so due to the length of time the baby was separated from her mother it was unlikely she would have recognised him and would probably have attacked her.  This combined with the baby's weakened state meant hand rearing was the only option available and who better to take charge on the through the night feeds than an expectant zoo keeper.

Tim Morphew, enthused; "I've hand-reared quite a few animals during my zoo keeping career but it was lovely to take on Pedra, as we've named her, so close to the arrival of my own child.  It was a timely reminder of the nightly feeds and a welcome distraction for my wife as her due date approached.

"Fortunately we have just introduced a Goat Milking activity in the Jolly Barn where visitors can hand milk a goat and this provides us with a brilliant substitution for fresh milk to feed her with."

Pedra means "rock" in Portuguese and the baby was so named because she was found sheltering behind a rock.

Tim's own new addition has since made an appearance.  William Joseph Morphew was born weighing 9lb 14oz and staff at Folly Farm wish Tim and his wife Sara-Jane huge congratulations at this exciting time.

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- New arrivals to Folly Farm, Rufus and Roxie the Red River Hogs, surprised keepers with their very own arrival...four striped piglets

- Pop over to our Zoo Keepers' Diary for more photos of the piglets

29 August 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Folly Farm keepers were met with a wonderful surprise last week when they discovered two had become six in the Red River Hog enclosure.  Rufus and Roxie only joined Folly Farm last month from Woburn Safari Park and have been settling into their new purpose built enclosure alongside the Giraffe paddock.  Keepers had noticed that Roxie had been gaining weight since her arrival but had put it down to a change in diet until the discovery of four tiny and very stripey piglets.  Once we are able to sex the piglets the plan is to choose some lovely Welsh names like Rhodri and Rhiannon in recognition of their birthplace and to continue with the "R" theme.

Tim Morphew, Zoo Manager at Folly Farm, enthused; "We are surprised but delighted by our unexpected arrivals.  Roxie must have already been pregnant before she joined us but the intention was always to breed a nice little troop to populate their dense forest enclosure.  It's fantastic it's happened a little sooner than we expected and a real treat for visitors at the end of the Summer holidays."

Red River Hog piglets are born with stripes to provide additional camouflage from predators in the native habitat.  As they grow they will lose their stripes and take on the red colouring of their parents.

AND THAT'S A FACT…

- A group of Red River Hogs is called a Troop

- The Red River Hog is also known as a Bush Pig

- The gestation period of a Red River Hog is three months, three weeks and three days

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk 

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- A sunny spell, an appearance from Fireman Sam and chip pan fire demonstrations from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service all combined to produce some more record breaking days at Folly Farm

11 August 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  As the sun came out this week so did thousands of visitors and the destination was the award-winning attraction Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo.  As well as all the fun of Folly Farm there was the chance to meet Fireman Sam, sit in a life sized fire engine and see real chip pan fire demonstrations which all combined to produce some more record breaking days.  More than 12,000 visitors have attended the park over the last two days and as well as having a great time they left with a serious fire safety message.

Station Manager Simon Pearson said of the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service's attendance; "The target audience of Folly Farm was absolutely spot on for this type of fire safety awareness campaign.  The young children loved climbing all over our fire engine and having their photos taken and the chip pan fire demonstrations were real crowd pleasers. 

"We've had an amazing amount of interaction with Folly Farm's visitors and were able to spread the message about fire safety in the home far and wide amongst the Welsh day trippers and holidaymakers."

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, added; "We are extremely grateful to Simon and the fire service for agreeing to attend our event.  We knew our younger visitors would have an amazing time seeing Fireman Sam but we wanted to make sure families went home with some useful information about fire safety too."

Also on offer was plenty of fire safety advice and in particular the Home Fire Safety Check which is a free service offered by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and other Fire and Rescue Services around the UK. Your local firefighters will come to your house, undertake a fire safety inspection of your home and provide and install free smoke alarms. Those wishing to have a Home Fire Safety Check should phone 0800 1691234 or book one online at http://www.mawwfire.gov.uk/

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

03 August 2010, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Fire safety will top the agenda at Folly Farm this week when popular television character Fireman Sam is joined by crew from the Mid and West Wales Fire Service.  As well as meeting Pontypandy's fire fighting hero, visitors to Folly Farm will have the chance to sit in a real fire engine.  The Mid and West Wales Fire Service will also be giving out fire safety awareness information from their Community Safety unit as well as running chip pan fire demonstrations throughout the day.  Fireman Sam and the Mid and West Wales Fire Service will be at Folly Farm on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th August.

Station Manager Simon Pearson said of the Brigade's attendance; "This is a great opportunity for us to educate a large number of families about fire safety in the home.  The chip pan fire demonstrations always cause a bit of a stir and a great way to get across a very serious message."

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, added; "We are extremely grateful to Simon and the fire service for agreeing to attend our event.  We know our younger visitors will have an amazing time meeting Fireman Sam but we wanted to make sure families went home with some useful information about fire safety too."

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

Photo: Directors Chris and Karina Ebsworth with the National Tourism Award for Best Family Day Out in Wales

03 August 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Robert Llewellyn-Jones of the Western Mail recently interviewed Folly Farm's Managing Director Chris Ebsworth about what it takes to keep a business like Folly Farm at the top of its game.

Read the full article here.

- Zoo Keepers at Folly Farm are getting some help hand-rearing a baby Ostrich from a cuddly toy and a radio

27 July 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Folly Farm Zoo Keepers are hand-rearing a baby Ostrich left out in the rain by its mum.  At just two weeks old, and less than a foot tall, the as yet un-named baby is a fraction of its eventual size which could be anywhere between 6ft and 9ft.  This is the first baby Ostrich to be born at Folly Farm for more than four years as poor weather during the breeding seasons has hampered successful incubation due to excess moisture in the nest.  A drier breeding season this year has proved to be just what the Ostriches needed.  The baby is feeding independently and is growing well in the Folly Zoo Hospital where it is kept company by the radio and a cuddly toy Ostrich.

 

Tim Morphew, Zoo Manager at Folly Farm, explained the baby Ostrich was discovered by a member of the public; "The baby had recently hatched and was left alone in the nest in the pouring rain as the mother had gone for shelter.  It was very wet and weak and the difficult decision was taken to hand raise the bird as the mother wasn't displaying maternal behaviour and this would be its best chance of survival.

"The baby is now growing well, is very alert and feeding independently so eventually we will be able to re-home it at another zoo or introduce a second group of Ostrich at Folly Farm as having been hand raised it is unlikely the baby will be able to return to its group."

AND THAT'S A FACT…

- An Ostrich nest is also known as a scrape due to the fact it's just a shallow pit scraped into the ground by the male

- Ostrich eggs are incubated by the females sitting on them during the day and males by night.  This uses the colour of the two sexes to escape detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the night

- Ostriches can often outrun their predators in a pursuit and can even outpace Cheetahs over long distances

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- The Education Minister and the Welsh Language Board unveil Welsh Language Trails at Folly Farm

19 July 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Welsh language was top of the agenda at Folly Farm today as Education Minister Leighton Andrews and Lowri ap Robert from the Welsh Language Board unveiled the Tenby-based attraction's trails for Welsh speakers and for visitors to Wales.  The Welsh Language Trail provides fluent Welsh speakers with an overview of the key attractions in Folly Farm and the Learner's Trail is intended to create a sense of place for visitors to Pembrokeshire by providing them with the Welsh, English and phonetic spelling of key phrases about their day out.  Folly Farm has worked closely with the Welsh Language Board to create a Welsh Language Policy for the attraction which will also see major new attractions signed bilingually.

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, explained; "We're proud to be located in Wales and wanted to support the Welsh language not only for Welsh-speaking visitors but also to create a sense of place for visitors to Wales.  The Welsh Culture and having our own language is a major part of what is different about us from any other UK attraction and this should be embraced and celebrated.

"The Welsh Language Board has been enormously supportive providing helpful advice, guidance and encouragement to bring Welsh into our business."

Leighton Andrews, the Minister for Education, added; "The Welsh Government is committed to securing the long-term health and vitality of the Welsh language, and wants every person to enjoy more opportunities to use it in daily life.

"Through the Welsh language trail, Folly Farm has fully embraced this aim. Not only do the signs allow fluent Welsh visitors to use the language, but they also encourage learners to use it. The signs also serve to introduce our unique language and culture to visitors from outside Wales.

"As a Welsh learner, I appreciate all opportunities to use and develop my Welsh - and I hope that other businesses in Pembrokeshire, and across Wales, will follow the excellent example set by Folly Farm."

Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board, explained the importance of businesses like Folly Farm embracing the Welsh Language; "Folly Farm is a major tourist attraction we have worked with to create a Welsh Language policy.  So we are hopeful this will inspire more tourism operators to invest in the Welsh language to create a sense of place for their visitors."

Folly Farm has also included Welsh audio on its website bringing its virtual 3D character, Farmer Glyn, to life with bilingual full lip-synchronisation.  Visitors just need to click the Welsh Language Board's Cymraeg Pin badge to hear him speak in Welsh.

An example of the Welsh Learner's Trail;

"Roeddwn i wedi mynd i fyny'n uchel i'r awyr ar yr Olwyn Fawr"

""I went up high in the sky on the Big Wheel"

uchel "eech-el" high

awyr "ah-wir" sky

Olwyn Fawr "ol-win va-wr" Big Wheel

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- New arrival Alfie is breaking hearts at Folly Farm

 - Photo: Laura Jones, Senior Livestock Supervisor, with Alfie the latest arrival in the Jolly Barn

13 July 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Folly Farm's latest arrival is stealing the show in his pen in the Jolly Barn.  Alfie, a baby miniature foal, born to mum Nesta on July 1st is proving a real hit with visitors. 

Laura Jones, Senior Livestock Supervisor at Folly Farm, said; "We're not short on cute baby animals in the Jolly Barn but Alfie is proving incredibly popular.  Our miniature horses are really sweet fully grown so the babies are impossibly cute.  He's now the star of lots of home movies and family photo albums and he seems to be enjoying all the attention."

AND THAT'S A FACT…

Miniature horses are usually between 86cm and 97cm in height.

They are hardy animals with a lifespan of between 25-35 years.

The World's smallest horse is Thumbelina standing at just 47cm tall.

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- St Mary's Church in Begelly is holding a Teddy Bear Exhibition and Parachute Drop Fundraiser this August Bank Holiday 

05 July 2011, Folly Farm, Begelly, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: A cuddly toy giraffe from the Folly Farm shop will join teddy bears at St Mary's Church, Begelly, for a fundraising parachute drop from the top of the church tower this August Bank Holiday weekend to raise funds for the Church Tower Appeal.  A Teddy Bear Exhibition is also being held and donated teddies will be auctioned to raise funds for the NSPCC.  Teddy bear's from across the county are being invited to take part in this amazing feat, if they are brave enough.  A family service will also be held on Sunday 29th August to which teddies are welcome to bring their owners.

Reverend Sarah Geach of St Mary's Church, said: "We have high hopes for the fundraiser and would like to encourage families to come along over the weekend to take part in parachute making workshops and to enoy the exhibition."

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, added; "We are pleased to support fundraising events in our local community and are delighted Folly Farm will be represented at the event by a parachuting giraffe, after all they have a head for heights!"

Please see poster for further information and times.

-Ends-

- Folly Farm awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for consistently receiving excellent reviews

22 June 2010, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Folly Farm has been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.  As the World's largest travel site, TripAdvisor receives more than 50 million unique visits across its 18 travel brand websites and Folly Farm has been given this award for achieving consistently "excellent" ratings from user reviews.

Zoë Wright, PR and Marketing Manager at Folly Farm, said; "User-generated content is becoming a hugely valuable marketing tool with potential visitors understandably preferring to hear what independent people say about you rather than what you say about yourselves.  Because we are proud of what visitors say about us we promote TripAdvisor with a link on our own homepage and encourage visitors to read these reviews.

"We're delighted to have received this award from TripAdvisor but even more delighted that visitors to Folly Farm have had such a fantastic time they are compelled to share their experience with others."

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- A green initiative to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs pays dividends for the environment and the bottom line

20 June 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Folly Farm has revealed its switch to 0.3w energy-efficient lightbulbs on its vintage funfair rides last year - some 10,500 of them - is paying dividends for the environment and its bottom line.  Figures for April 2010 revealed a saving of 14,000KWh (Kilowatt Hours) compared to April 2010, a cost saving of £1170 for the month.  The maximum demand for electricity for the whole park in April 2011 was 250KVa (Kilovolt Ampere) compared to 310KVa in 2010 and that's despite the addition of new ride The Pembrokeshire Wheel which uses 50KVa.

Operation Lightbulb was a suggestion from the Green Team, an environmental advisory team tasked with researching ways to conserve energy, cut wastage and reuse and recycle more as part of Folly Farm's commitment to conservation and the environment.   

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm enthused; "The decision to replace the light bulbs was a serious one due to the level of initial investment required but we are now seeing significant cost reductions and no-one can dispute the obvious benefit to the planet.

"There is still more we can do to cut our energy usage and the Green Team will continue to focus on ways to achieve this as well as investigating other ways we can reduce our carbon footprint."

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, added; "We are pleased to be able to support Tŷ Hafan by offering them a venue and are delighted their first visit resulted in many new memberships for the weekly lottery.  It's a small gesture compared to the hugely valuable contribution Tŷ Hafan makes to the lives of life limited children but it's an important way in which busy attractions like ours can support charities."   

For more information about Tŷ Hafan's Crackerjackpot Lottery visit www.crackerjackpot.co.uk or call 029 2067 2062.

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- 50,000 have already ridden Folly Farm's new ride The Pembrokeshire Wheel

- The launch day proceeds from The Pembrokeshire Wheel will go to former Wales flanker Richard Parks' 737 Challenge for Marie Curie Cancer Care

01 June 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, near Tenby, today officially opened its new ride The Pembrokeshire Wheel, the largest permanent ride of its kind in Wales.  The Pembrokeshire Wheel, a half a million pound investment, stands at 25 metres/82 feet and to date has already carried over 50,000 passengers.  The proceeds from today's launch day will go to former Wales flanker Richard Parks' 737 Challenge for Marie Curie Cancer Care and Wales players Huw Bennett, Paul James and Aled Brew were in attendance to represent the charity challenge.

Approximately one third of visitors to Folly Farm are taking to the skies to enjoy the unparalleled views of the Pembrokeshire countryside and coastal landmarks.  With 18 carriages each accommodating six people and no height restrictions for children when accompanied by an adult, The Pembrokeshire Wheel is a new ride for the whole family.  A special rectangular carriage has also been added to allow access for wheelchair-users. 

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director of Folly Farm, enthused; "In these testing economic times it's vital as a tourist operation that we continue to invest to keep the attraction fresh for our loyal return visitors and The Pembrokeshire Wheel is already proving to be another good investment.

"We've stayed true to our market by listening to what our cutomers want and introduced a ride suitable for the whole family from babies to grandparents!"

Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, Edwina Hart, performed the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to officially open the ride, she said; "I'm delighted to visit Folly Farm to see the importance that the owners place on continually investing in their product to make sure that they meet customer demand.  I wish them every success for a busy summer season."

Councillor David Pugh, Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council who officially opened the ride with Mrs Hart, added; "The Pembrokeshire Wheel is another landmark addition to Folly Farm and Pembrokeshire's fabulous tourism offering."

Richard Parks, former Wales Flanker sent this message from his base camp at Everest; "I am thrilled that the donations raised at today's launch of The Pembrokeshire Wheel are for the 737 Challenge which is raising funds in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.  I hope everyone has an awesome day and enjoys the ride, I'll be there to have a go myself when I finish my challenge!".

Lillian Lowe, of Tenby and oldest user of Facebook fame, looked a young 104 as she took to the skies representing four generations of her family; "I've been very excited about my visit to Folly Farm to ride the Big Wheel with my grandson, great grandaughter and great, great-grandaughter Jessica.  I can definitely confirm I "Like" this new ride!"

Robert Rhodes on holiday from Derby, added; "Every time we come back to Folly Farm there is something new and The Pembrokeshire Wheel is a fantastic new addition.  It's great the whole family can ride together in one carriage as it saves arguments about who's going with who!"

In order to attract the whole family on board the cost to ride The Pembrokeshire Wheel has been kept deliberately low at just one funfair token/50 pence per person.

-Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:
Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

Miranda Stevenson, Executive Drector of BIAZA, added; "BIAZA Zoos and aquariums have lots in store for families during the week so we hope people will support the campaign."

For more information on the Love Your Zoo campaign please visit www.loveyourzoo.co.uk

-Ends-

For press enquiries please contact:

Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

24 May 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo today unveiled a new troop of tractors for its pedal tractor attraction.  As part of its continued investment programme to upgrade existing facilities, Folly Farm has purchased 50 new John Deere children's pedal tractors from local John Deere dealership, LAS Agric Ltd of Narberth.  The deal will bring the John Deere brand, available through LAS Agric Ltd, exposure to Folly Farm's 400,000 annual visitors. 

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, explained; "The new tractors will be a welcome addition and ensure this hugely popular attraction maintains the level of quality we strive for across the whole business."

Charles Clarke, Parts Manager at LAS Agric Ltd, added; "We are delighted to supply Folly Farm and are sure the John Deere pedal tractors will be hugely popular with their visitors, especially any budding farmers!"

  -Ends- 

For press enquiries please contact:

Zoë Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
01834 815032
zoe@folly-farm.co.uk

- Captain Barnacles fromt he hugely popular cartoon Octonauts will be appearing at Folly Farm this Whitsun half term

16 May 2011, Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire:  Captain Barnacles, chief Octonaut, will be making his debut appearance at Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo near Tenby, West Wales.  The hugely popular cartoon burst onto the children's television scene last year with its underwater missions to "Explore, Rescue and Protect" sea creatures.  Captain Barnacles will be appearing this Whitsun half term at intervals throughout the day on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June.

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, enthused; "The Octonauts are one of the hottest programmes on CBeebies at the moment and it's a real honour to have Captain Barnacles appear at Folly Farm and give our visitors the chance to meet him! 

"We constantly strive to offer our very loyal return and local visitors something new for the big holidays and bringing Captain Barnacles to Pembrokeshire for the Whitsun half term is just another example of how we try to keep our attraction fresh, exciting and current."

Captain Barnacles will appear at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June 2011.  His appearance is included in the standard entry price to Folly Farm.

Born out of the richly imaginative books by award-winning design team, Meomi, the Octonauts TV series combines team action adventure with CGI animation.

A heroic figure and strategic thinker, Barnacles is the proud and dependable Captain of the Octonauts.  A true team leader, his decisive actions inspire the participation of the entire crew.

He's an expert with maps and charts, tools he uses to serve his true passion - the exploration of unchartered territories and the discovery of creature no one has ever seen before.  When a chase requiring complex navigation ensues, you can be sure that Barnacles will be at the helm.

In addition to his powerful leadership, he is physically the strongest member of the Octonauts.

-Ends-
 
For press enquiries please contact;

Zoe Wright
PR and Marketing Manager
Tel: 01834 815032
Email: zoe@folly-farm.co.uk