Lancashire’s Five Stars
Marketing Lancashire is pleased to announce that five Lancashire Tourism Award Winners 2012/13 have been named as finalists in the prestigious Visit England Awards for Excellence, and go forward to the national finals which will be held at Lancashire County Cricket Club, Old Trafford, on Monday 20 May 2013.
Lancashire’s 2013 finalists are: Access for All Tourism, Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool; Caravan Holiday Park, Sunset Park, Hambleton; Small Hotel of the Year, Northcote, Langho; Taste of England Award, The Redwell Country Inn and Restaurant, Arkholme; Tourism Pub of the Year, The Millstone at Mellor. (For a full list of all categories and all finalists, see below)
Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire said “We know that Lancashire has some of the country’s finest pubs, attractions, accommodation, restaurants and customer service, so it is little surprise to see these five flagship businesses acknowledged in this way.
“Our whole-hearted support and best wishes now go with these five-star performers to the national Visit England Awards, where they will compete and represent Lancashire at the very highest level. We are incredibly proud of their achievement and all our Lancashire Tourism Award winners.”
Lancashire’s finalists will receive either a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Award.
Sandcastle Waterpark and Sunset Park were both finalists in last year’s national awards and both received Highly Commended.
In 2012 Lancashire’s also celebrated a Gold win for The Ashton, Bed & Breakfast of the Year; Gold win for Michael Gore of the Best Western Premier Leyland for Customer Service of the Year; Silver for Old Holly Farm, for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year; Bronze for Ribby Hall Village, Business Tourism Award.
Commenting on the finalists James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive said
“I would like to congratulate all those nominated as VisitEngland Awards for Excellence finalists this year. We received 320 applications and the quality of submissions was higher than ever. It is therefore no small achievement for these five Lancashire businesses to become finalists and justifiably take credit and pride in earning a coveted place in the top five in their category in England. I wish everyone all the best for the final in May”.
Full list of finalists (in alphabetical order)
Access for All Tourism Award
Calvert Trust Exmoor, Barnstaple, Devon
Eureka! National Children's Museum, Halifax, West Yorkshire
Hoe Grange Holidays, Matlock, Derbyshire
One Great George Street, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool, Lancashire
Science Museum, London
Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast, South Alkham, nr Dover, Kent
Fern Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire
Pendragon Country House, Camelford, Cornwall
The Bear's Paw, Sandbach, Cheshire
The Salty Monk Restaurant with Rooms, Sidmouth, Devon
Business Tourism Award
Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon
ExCeL London, London
Manchester Central, Manchester, Greater Manchester
Rockliffe Hall, Darlington, County Durham
York Marriott, York, Yorkshire
Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year
Carr Royd Parks Ltd. t/a Sunset Park, Hambleton, Lancashire
Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Holt, Norfolk
Oakdown Country Holiday Park, Sidmouth, Devon
Trethem Mill Touring Park,Truro, Cornwall
Woodclose Park, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
Large Hotel of the Year
Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa, York, North Yorkshire
Peckforton Castle Hotel, Tarporley, Cheshire
The Lowry Hotel, Salford, Greater Manchester
The Swan Hotel, Sudbury, Suffolk
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Beaulieu Enterprises Limited, Beaulieu, Hants
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Cutty Sark, London
The Roman Baths, Bath, Bath & North East Somerset
Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year
Bosinver Farm Cottages, St Austell, Cornwall
Combermere Abbey Cottages, Whitchurch, Shropshire
Eaton Manor Country Estate, Church Stretton, Shropshire
Staying Cool at the Rotunda, Birmimgham, West Midlands
Tottergill Farm, Brampton, Cumbria
Small Hotel of the Year
Brockencote Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon
Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere, Cumbria
Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
The Scarlet Hotel, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby, North Yorkshire
Corinium Museum, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Ordsall Hall, Salford, Greater Manchester
WWT Washington Wetlands Centre, Washington, Tyne and Wear
Sustainable Tourism Award
At-Bristol science centre, Bristol
Beechenhill Farm, Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Hoe Grange Holidays, Matlock, Derbyshire
Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Holt, Norfolk
Taste of England Award
Blackfriars, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Drewton's Limited, Nr Brough, East Yorkshire
Overwater Hall, Carlisle, Cumbria
Redwell Country Inn and Restaurant, Carnforth, Lancashire
Samuel's at Swinton Park, Ripon, North Yorkshire
Tourism Experience of the Year
Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival, Salisbury, Wiltshire
Kielder Water & Forest Park (KW&FP), Newcastle, Tyne & Wear
Manchester International Festival, Manchester, Greater Manchester
RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day 2012, Barnstaple, Devon
The French in York, York, North Yorkshire
Tourism Pub of the Year
Drunken Duck Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria
Rashleigh Arms, st Austell, Cornwall
The Feathered Nest Country Inn, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
The Millstone at Mellor, Blackburn, Lancashire
The Yew Tree Inn, Tarporley, Cheshire
Visitor Information Provider of the Year
Gloucester Tourist Information Centre, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Greenwich Tourist Information Centre, Greenwich, London
Thanet Visitor Information Service, Margate, Kent
Wakefield Tourist Information Centre, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
<<ENDS>>
Media enquiries: Anna Izza, Communications Manager, Marketing Lancashire
on 01772 426459
Notes to Editors
1. Marketing Lancashire is the new name for Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board (from 1st April 2012)
Our activities in marketing and communications, commercial membership, `Welcome to Excellence` training and place marketing are all designed to grow the visitor economy and develop the destination as a great place to visit, live and work.
In 2010 the Lancashire attracted 60 million visitors who contributed £3.25 billion to the local economy and helped support 55,227 jobs.