VisitEngland reveals Winners of Awards for Excellence 2015
The winners of the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2015 were revealed at its annual ceremony, held last night at the spectacular Sage Gateshead. Celebrating excellence across the tourism industry, 17 winners including Best Small Hotel, Tourism Pub of the Year, Best Visitor Attraction and Tourism Event of the Year were announced.
Lancashire's Fabulous Five received –
- Vintage by the Sea – The Midland Morecambe – Highly Commended Tourism Event of the Year
- The Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland – Highly Commended Taste of England Award
- Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe – Gold Award Tourism Pub of the Year
- St Annes Beach Huts – Highly Commended Tourism Experience of the Year
- Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool – Silver Award Access for All Tourism Award
Please see below for full list of winners.
Two special awards celebrating individual excellence; Outstanding Contribution to Tourism and Tourism Superstar (run by VisitEngland in partnership with the Daily Mirror) were amongst the winners. ‘The Chefs of England’ were awarded the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award. England has a growing reputation for quality food being served across the country; enticing visitors from both home and abroad. With such a huge choice of fantastic restaurants, pubs and hotels offering high calibre food, the award honoured the impact good food has on English tourism. Accepting the award on behalf of ‘The Chefs of England’ was Hrishikesh Desai, winner of Chefs on Trial, the popular BBC2 TV series featuring hotel expert Alex Polizzi. Hrishikesh beat off stiff competition to be crowned Executive Head Chef at The Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, an exclusive country house hotel in the Lake District.
Recognised for winning Tourism Superstar 2015 earlier this year, Matthew Henderson from Beamish Museum in County Durham accepted his award on the evening. Receiving 36% of the total votes cast, Matthew was presented with his accolade by Nigel Thompson, Daily Mirror’s Travel Editor. Over 21,400 votes were generated in total for this award – a record since the competition started in 2012. The Tourism Superstar recognises the dedication and passion of those working in the tourism industry; who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure visitors to England have a priceless experience.
VisitEngland Chairman, Lady Cobham CBE, said: “The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – this year hosted at the wonderful Sage Gateshead – celebrate the very best in English tourism. It is the highest accolade and recognises the true champions of our industry, as well as the top quality visitor experiences we are fortunate to have on offer in England. The competition is of an increasingly high standard and so I offer my sincere congratulations to all our winners on this tremendous achievement, particularly the Gold Award winners for their exemplary contribution to tourism in this country.”
2015 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – Gold Winners
Tourism Event of the Year
- ** Gold – Bournemouth Air Festival 2014, Bournemouth, Dorset www.bournemouthair.co.uk
- The Cotswold Show Cirencester, Gloucestershire www.cotswoldshow.co.uk
- Mallard 75, National Railway Museum York, North Yorkshire www.nrm.org.uk
- Northumbrian Water – Kielder Winter Wonderland Hexham, Northumberland www.visitkielder.com
- **Highly Commended – Vintage by the Sea – The Midland Morecambe, Lancashire www.englishlakes.co.uk
Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year
- ** Gold – Bosinver Farm Cottages St Austell, Cornwall www.bosinver.co.uk
- The Dandelion Hideaway Market Bosworth, Leicestershire www.thedandelionhideaway.co.uk
- The Dovecoat Barns York York, North Yorkshire www.dovecotebarnsyork.co.uk
- High Barn Cottages Nr. Bridlington, East Yorkshire www.highbarncottages.co.uk
- Millbrook Cottages High Bickington, Devon www.millbrookcottages.co.uk
Visitor Information Provider of the Year
- Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre Chesterfield, Derbyshire www.visitchesterfield.info
- ** Gold – City of London Information Centre London www.visitthecity.co.uk
- Durham Visitor Information Network Durham, County Durham www.thisisdurham.com
- Simply Staffordshire Uttoxeter, Staffordshire www.simplystaffordshire.co.uk
- The Welcome People London www.thewelcomepeople.com
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Chatsworth Bakewell, Derbyshire www.chatsworth.org
- ** Gold – Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Telford, Shropshire www.ironbridge.org.uk
- Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool, Merseyside www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan St Austell, Cornwall www.heligan.com
- The Roman Baths & Pump Room Bath, Somerset www.romanbaths.co.uk
Small Hotel of the Year
- ** Gold – Brockencote Hall Hotel Kidderminster, Worcestershire www.brockencotehall.com
- Cedar Manor Hotel & Restaurant Windermere, Cumbria www.cedarmanor.co.uk
- Hell Bay Hotel Isles of Scilly, Cornwall www.hellbay.co.uk
- The Horn of Plenty Tavistock, Devon www.thehornofplenty.co.uk
- Mallory Court Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire www.mallory.co.uk
- The Talbot Hotel Malton, North Yorkshire www.talbotmalton.co.uk
Business Tourism Award
- Barnett Hill, Guildford, Surrey www.sundialgroup.com/barnetthill
- Event Durham, Durham University Durham, County Durham, www.durham.ac.uk/event.durham
- National Space Centre, Leicester, Leicestershire www.venuehire.spacecentre.co.uk
- The University of Manchester Conferences and Venues, Manchester, Greater Manchester www.conference.manchester.ac.uk
- ** Gold – Woodland Grange Conference Centre Leamington Spa, Warwickshire www.eefvenues.co.uk/conference-venues/warwickshire/
Taste of England Award
- Delifonseca Dockside Liverpool, Merseyside www.delifonseca.co.uk
- ** Gold – Hotel Maiyango, Leicester, Leicestershire www.maiyango.com
- ** Highly Commended – The Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland, Lancashire www.parkersarms.co.uk
- Stokes Tea & Coffee, Lincoln, Lincolnshire www.stokes-coffee.co.uk
- Yorebridge House, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, www.yorebridgehouse.co.uk
Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year
- Cofton Country Holidays, Dawlish, Devon www.coftonholidays.co.uk
- ** Gold – Poston Mill Park, Hereford, Herefordshire www.postonmill.co.uk
- Seafield Caravan Park, Seahouses, Northumberland www.seafieldpark.co.uk
- Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton, Hunstanton, Norfolk www.searles.co.uk
- Trethem Mill Touring Park, Truro, Cornwall www.trethem.com
Tourism Pub of the Year
- The Exchange, Leicester, Leicestershire www.exchangeleicester.com
- ** Gold – Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire www.freemasonsatwiswell.com
- The Pandora Inn, Falmouth, Cornwall www.pandorainn.com
- Wild Boar Inn, Grill & Smokehouse, Nr Windermere, Cumbria www.englishlakes.co.uk/hotels/lake-district-hotels/windermere-hotels/wild-boar-inn/
- The Wro Bar, Lounge & Loft, West Kirby, Merseyside, www.the-wro.co.uk
Tourism Experience of the Year
- The Cycle Hub, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, www.thecyclehub.org
- Farm Stay UK Ltd, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, www.farmstay.co.uk
- Livingstone Lodge Overnight Safari Experience, Port Lympne Reserve
- Ashford, Kent, www.aspinallfoundation.org/portlympne
- ** Highly Commended – St Annes Beach Huts, Lytham, Lancashire www.stannesbeachhuts.co.uk
- ** Gold – Treetop Trek Ltd, Windermere, Cumbria www.treetoptrek.co.uk
Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year
- ** Gold – Colton House, Rugeley, Staffordshire www.coltonhouse.com
- Lower Barns Boutique B&B, St Austell, Cornwall, www.lowerbarns.co.uk
- Mere Brook House, Wirral, Merseyside, www.merebrookhouse.co.uk
- The Old Rectory of St James, Telford, Shropshire, www.theoldrectoryofstjames.co.uk
- Swan House, Hastings, East Sussex, www.swanhousehastings.co.uk
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, www.stokemuseums.org.uk
- Owl & Monkey Haven, Newport, Isle of Wight, www.owlandmonkeyhaven.co.uk
- Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Ulverston, Cumbria, www.english-heritage.org.uk/stottpark
- Topsail Charters Ltd, Maldon, Essex, www.topsailcharters.co.uk
- ** Gold – The World of James Herriot, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, www.worldofjamesherriot.com
Large Hotel of the Year
- Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, New Milton, Hampshire, www.chewtonglen.com
- Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, www.ellenboroughpark.com
- The Manor House Hotel, Moreton-on-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire, www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk
- ** Gold – Matfen Hall Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, www.matfenhall.com
- Peckforton Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire, www.peckfortoncastle.co.uk
Sustainable Tourism Award
- At Bristol Science Centre, Bristol, www.at-bristol.org.uk/
- Colton House, Rugeley, Staffordshire, www.coltonhouse.com
- The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset, www.thegreenhousehotel.com
- St Cuthbert’s House, Seahouses, Northumberland, www.stcuthbertshouse.com
- ** Gold – Wheatland Farm Eco Lodges, Winkleigh, Devon, www.wheatlandfarm.co.uk
Access for All Tourism Award
- The Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol, www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome
- ** Gold – Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax, West Yorkshire www.eureka.org.uk
- Kernock Cottages, Saltash, Cornwall, www.kernockcottages.com
- ** Silver – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool, Lancashire, www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk