Triple win for PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm at The Farmer Rural Awards 2025

Staffordshire’s PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm is celebrating an incredible hat-trick of success after being named winner in three categories at The Farmer Rural Awards 2025 — Educational Initiative of the Year, Diversification of the Year, and Farm of the Year.

The awards ceremony, held on Tuesday 22 October at Shrewsbury Town Football Club, recognised the very best in farming and rural enterprise across the region. Father and son duo Ray and Richard Bower attended the glittering event to represent the family-run business, which has grown from a traditional beef and arable farm into one of Staffordshire’s most popular visitor attractions.

The triple win recognises PLAY@’s outstanding contribution to farming education, its innovative diversification journey, and its ongoing commitment to operating a thriving, sustainable family farm that engages thousands of visitors each year.

Richard Bower, who runs the attraction alongside his father Ray, said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have won not one, but three awards at The Farmer Rural Awards 2025. It’s a huge honour and something we dedicate entirely to our incredible team — they’re the ones who bring PLAY@ to life every single day. We also want to thank everyone who has visited and supported us over the past five years since we first opened our doors. Their enthusiasm and feedback continue to inspire us to grow, improve and share our passion for farming with even more families.”

PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm was praised by judges for its innovative approach to education — from curriculum-linked school visits and hands-on Home Educators’ sessions to its “Children’s Farm” outreach stand that takes the farming story to major regional shows. The Diversification of the Year award recognised the Bower family’s bold transformation of their working beef and arable farm into a multi-award-winning visitor destination, while Farm of the Year celebrated their continued commitment to farming excellence, sustainability, and community impact.

Launched in 2020, PLAY@ has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the farm, offering a unique mix of indoor and outdoor adventure play, animal encounters, and seasonal events – all underpinned by its mission to connect families with farming and the countryside.

These latest awards add to an impressive list of accolades for the attraction, which has previously been recognised at the Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism Awards, the Express & Star Business Awards, and the National Farm Attraction Network (NFAN) Awards.