West Midland Safari Park celebrates Trio of Top Awards

West Midland Safari Park is celebrating after receiving a succession of three national awards, two for services in education and one recognising excellence for its onsite accommodation.

The first of the education awards was for ‘Best Wildlife Attraction’, presented at the School Travel Awards, acknowledging the high-quality level of service the Park’s Education Team deliver for school trips, as well as inspiring the next generation of conservationists.

The awards, hosted on 6 June 2023, recognised the best companies, venues and attractions who provide school trips and were voted for by teachers and educational visit coordinators.

The second win was a ‘Silver Award’ for Education, presented at the BIAZA Awards, during the annual BIAZA conference, which the Park hosted on 8 June. 

This award was for the Education Team’s Amateur Zoologist Club, which was set up in 2022, working with the Park’s local ‘University of the 3rd Age’, providing members with chances to learn a variety of zoological topics and get closer to nature.

Nicola Anslow, Education Manager, said, "We are hugely proud that West Midland Safari Park has won two awards, recognising our high-quality level of service the Education Team provide. We were honoured to be nominated for the School Travel Awards, alongside other incredible nominees and winning the 'Best Wildlife Attraction' for the third year running, is a testimony to the hard work of the staff in both the Education and Wildlife teams. This demonstrates our commitment to providing school children with a fun, educational and memorable day out.”

She continued, “We are also delighted that the valuable work created by Senior Education Officer, Chloe Walton-Stenson, has achieved a silver BIAZA award for her 'Amateur Zoologist Club'. Working in close partnership with the Wyre Forest University of the 3rd Age for two years now, Chloe has developed a series of hands-on sessions for our guests, discussing topics such as biodiversity and endangered animals at WMSP. This national award recognises excellence for our work within our local community, of which we are very proud."

As well as the awards in education, the Park’s onsite accommodation, Safari Lodges, has been recognised by Tripadvisor as a ‘2023 Travellers’ Choice’ award winner.

The coveted award celebrates businesses that have consistently received great traveller reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months, placing these winners amongst the top 10% of all listings on Tripadvisor globally.

Head of Marketing, Vikki Green, said, “We are delighted to have achieved the 2023 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award. To win such an accolade based on customer reviews is the best endorsement we could achieve and I’m immensely proud of all the team who have helped to win this award. It's fantastic to see all the lovely feedback from guests staying with us and we look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors in the future.”

The trio of awards comes shortly after the Park won ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’, at the Visit Worcestershire Awards in March.

The Park celebrated its 50th anniversary in April of this year, so staff are pleased that they continue to be recognised as one of the best attractions in the UK, for fantastic family days out, educational visits and luxury overnight stays.