Blog

The wildlife park is so easy to reach from Cambridgeshire and could be a good day out for the summer.The wildlife park was given a gold award for its category (Image: Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park)A wildlife park that you can visit from Cambridgeshire for a day trip has been named one of the best attractions in England. VisitEngland recently revealed the winners of its 2026 Awards for Excellence with Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park being given the gold award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.The awards included categories for things such as ‘Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year’, ‘Pub of the Year’, and ‘Small Hotel of the Year’. Gold, silver, and bronze awards were given for each of the categories to highlight some of the best businesses in the tourism industry.VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “The awards are a celebration of England’s outstanding tourism industry and an opportunity to highlight the excellence that makes it world leading.“From a hands-on, traditional blacksmith’s visitor experience in the Midlands and a castle hotel and spa set in one of our national parks to accessible and inclusive holidays, these awards showcase the exceptional quality, unparalleled customer service and innovation that drive our industry.“I congratulate the wonderful range of first-class award recipients, all of whom are so passionate about tourism. They are all deserving winners.”You can book animal experiences to get up close to some of the animals(Image: Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park)Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park has around 100 species and breeds of animals to see including zebras, pigs, polar bears, and tigers. If you are more interested in insects, there are a few to see at the wildlife park such as beetles and ants as well as butterflies you can see while walking around the butterfly house.If you want to get up close to some of the animals, you might want to book an animal experience where you will be able to spend some time with them in their enclosures, feed them, and help to bath or groom them. You can choose from a range of different animals to spend time with including capybaras, donkeys, and different farm animals.After taking a walk around the park and seeing the animals, there is a huge play area suitable for children of all ages. The play area features a giant sandpit, a wooden playground for children to run around, climbing pyramids, and even a hobbit house.There are a mix of farm and zoo animals to see(Image: Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park)In terms of food, you can pop into the Barn restaurant and coffee house for either breakfast or lunch. The Barn’s menu features a range of dishes that will set you up for the day as well as larger meals that change depending on the season.Tickets for the wildlife park cost £25 for adults and £20 for children between the ages of two and 16. You can stay in the park for as long as you want.Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park can be found on Pannington Hall Lane, which is around an hour and 10-minute drive away from Cambridge via the A14. There is a car park onsite that is free for all visitors to use.

A group of over 30 parish councillors and organisations have grouped together to call on a council to look at its local planMembers of Pause the Plans. Left to right – Graham Campbell, Lynne Pinn, Chris Stening, Ruth Southworth and Paul Boothman(Image: Cambridgeshire Live)Locals have urged a council to “pause” its local plan as they fear the thousands of homes planned could lead to overdevelopment. Under Huntingdonshire’s District Council’s Draft Local Plan for 2026, more than 24,000 homes could be built in areas including Huntingdon and St Ives.Locals including residents and parish councillors said they are concerned at the impact this could have on infrastructure including roads and doctors. As a result, over 30 parish councils and organisations have joined together in the ‘Pause the Plan’ campaign.It asks HDC to thoroughly assess the impact it could have and to compile more evidence together before the plans are given the go-ahead.Several concerned parish councillors and a local resident have shared their thoughts on the local plan. Chris Stening, of Ellington Parish Council, said the proposed number of new homes is essentially creating a “new town”.He said: “When you put in a new town, you get all of the infrastructure considered. But what we’re seeing in this area is lots and lots of relatively small developments. But when you total them, it’s like creating three more St Ives all in this area.”Chris believes there has been “no consideration” towards the impact it could have on water and road infrastructure. He added: “That’s the real problem with the plan. That’s why we’re asking the local authorities to collect some evidence and fill the gaps to understand what infrastructure requirements are needed and then actually come up with a property community impact assessment.”Resident Ruth Southworth feels that St Ives could “lose its identity” if the homes are built. Ruth said: “In the local plan, there is no map of the cumulative effect.“I don’t think they properly thought through the infrastructure. We have issues with flooding, we have issues with water and water supply. To have a development of this size in such a small area means you’ve also got to consider roads.“Sometimes it can take an hour to just come out of St Ives. We have one river crossing in St Ives and one at Huntingdon. With the floods, that’s even more challenging.”Like the rest of the group, Ruth would like to see the plan paused. Paul Boothman, chair of Houghton and Wyton Parish Council, said the group is “not against development”.However, he added: “It’s really important we have it, especially affordable housing. This is an expensive place to live and not affordable. One of the other issues we have it we also need jobs. But, there seems to be an imbalance between the jobs that this will create and the housing numbers of the people that will actually be occupying those houses.“The risk we’ve got, or the worry we’ve got, is that if we’re not careful in building such a concentrated development in such a small area, we’re gonna end up with housing for people who won’t actually have jobs here.“There won’t be enough created and people will be commuting. That’s going to lead to even more gridlock and infrastructure issues that we already face, but it’s going to make the situation worse.”Graham Campbell, from the Great Ouse Valley Trust, is concerned about the environmental impact of the developments. He said: “We live in one of the most attractive and important landscapes. It’s not recognised in the local plan and it’s what gives our whole area identity. That’s very important to us.“Again, we’re not against development, that’s essential. But, the overall planning and concept [we want the council] to appreciate and reflect the value of this landscape for tourism, but also for local people to enjoy.”A HDC spokesperson has said the council is currently progressing the local plan. The spokesperson said: “We are progressing the Local Plan in line with current government legislation, which requires submission of the Proposed Submission Plan to the Planning Inspectorate, alongside all public comments, by December 31, 2026.”An independent Planning Inspector will then undertake a thorough examination of the draft plan and supporting evidence, including public hearings, to consider all representations and recommend any necessary changes.” The council is also aware of the Pause the Plan.The HDC spokesperson added: “We are aware of the concerns raised by the ‘Pause the Plan’ group and have reflected these in updates to our timetable. The next phase of public consultation will now begin in September 2026, providing additional time to consider the initial outcomes of local government reorganisation proposals and to finalise supporting evidence.”This includes ongoing work with partners such as the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority on key transport infrastructure, including the A141 and St Ives improvements scheme.”Starting consultation in September also avoids the main summer holiday period while ensuring we can still meet the national deadline. Failing to do so would require restarting the Local Plan under new legislation, delaying the delivery of an up-to-date plan for Huntingdonshire’s communities.”