AN ENTREPRENEUR based in South Woodham Ferrers has been named rural entrepreneur of the year.

James Sinclair, who runs the Marsh Farm Animal Adventure Park in South Woodham Ferrers, was crowned winner at the ceremony of the Rural Business Awards.

The aim of the awards is to give recognition to businesses operating right across the rural sector, to encourage entrepreneurial spirit and to give recognition to excellence.

Mr Sinclair bought Marsh Farm in 2013 and has turned its fortunes around.

It was originally a working farm and then became an open farm run by the local authority. With the site unable to achieve financial independence, it faced closure.

James saw the opportunity for developing a financially sustainable rural leisure business and jumped in.

When he took over Marsh Farm it was generating 90,000 admissions per year. Today, the business generates over 200,000 annual admissions.

James said: “I am delighted to have been recognised for the work that we’ve done at Marsh Farm and I am dedicating the award to my amazing team who make it happen.

“Having had the vision and achieved so much to date, we remain focused on continual improvement to deliver amazing customer experiences every day.”

Businesses operating in the rural sector employ in excess of 3.4 million people within more than 600,000 businesses, and the sector continues to grow rapidly.