Lancashire’s New Silver Hoard
Winners of Marketing Lancashire’s Lancashire Tourism Awards 2013, who progressed to the national Visit England Awards for Excellence 2014, have brought silver honours back to the county.
Bleasdale Holiday Cottages (Forest of Bowland), Sandcastle Waterpark (Blackpool) and The Parkers Arms (Clitheroe) were all awarded silver at the 25th Annual Visit England Awards which took place last night (12/5/14) at Cheltenham Race Course.
The 31 Gold and Silver winners were selected by a panel of tourism industry experts, chaired by VisitEngland Board Member and Chief Executive of the Blenheim Estate in Oxfordshire, John Hoy.
Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire said “We are proud of our Lancashire tourism businesses and their achievements at the national awards.
Their win at the highest industry level reminds everyone of the quality and variety of product available in the county, as well as the reasons why we continue to see such growth in visitors to Lancashire and visitlancashire.com.
“These businesses triumphed on a county level at the Lancashire Tourism Awards and have now shown they are very worthy national winners. Congratulations to them and to Visit Blackpool and Visit Wyre, who also received recognition at the industry’s most prestigious awards.”
The full list of Visit England Awards for Excellence Winners 2014 follows:
LANCASHIRE WINNERS HIGHLIGHTED
Access for All
Calvert Trust Exmoor, Kentisbury, Devon – Gold
Eureka! The National Children’s Museum Halifax, West Yorkshire – Silver
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool, Lancashire – Silver
Living Options Devon – Countryside Mobility Scheme, Exeter, Devon – Highly Commended
Curve, Leicester, Cultural Quarter, Leicester – Highly Commended
Jurys Inn Brighton, Brighton, East Sussex – Highly Commended
Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation
St. Cuthbert's House, Seahouses, Northumberland – Gold
Eckington Manor, Eckington, Worcestershire – Silver
Kester House Bed & Breakfast, Sedlescombe, East Sussex – Bronze
Browns of HolbeckHolbeck, Nottinghamshire – Highly Commended
Low Mill Guesthouse, Bainbridge, North Yorkshire – Highly Commended
Business Tourism
Emirates Old Trafford, Old Trafford, Manchester – Gold
Keele University Conferences & Events, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire – Silver
ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, London – Bronze
Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon – Highly Commended
The Lowry Salford Quays, Greater Manchester – Highly Commended
Holiday Park
Seafield Caravan Park, Seahouses, Northumberland – Gold
Gwel an Mor Resort, Portreath, Cornwall – Silver
Waldegraves & Cosways Family Holiday Parks, Mersea Island, Essex – Bronze
Northumbrian Water – Leaplish Waterside Park, Kielder, Northumberland – Bronze
Hoburne Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire – Highly Commended
Large Hotel
Burleigh Court, Loughborough, Leicestershire – Gold
Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool, Merseyside – Silver
Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire – Highly Commended
Peckforton Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire – Highly Commended
Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth on Tees, County Durham – Highly Commended
Large Visitor Attraction
Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire – Gold
Trebah Garden, Falmouth, Cornwall – Silver
Walby Farm Park, Carlisle, Cumbria – Bronze
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Ironbridge, Telford – Highly Commended
The Trentham Estate, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire – Highly Commended
Self-Catering
Trevase Cottages, Nr Hereford, Herefordshire – Gold
East View Farm Holiday Cottages, Wroxham, Norfolk – Silver
The Dandelion Hideaway, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire – Bronze
Corner Cottage, Nettlecombe Farm Holidays, Whitwell, Isle of Wight – Highly Commended
Staying Cool at the Rotunda, Birmingham, West Midlands – Highly Commended
Small Hotel
The Old Rectory Hotel, Martinhoe, Exmoor, Devon – Gold
Swinton Park, Ripon, North Yorkshire – Silver
Rothay Garden, Grasmere, Lake District – Bronze
Brockencote Hall Hotel, Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire – Highly Commended
Hell Bay Hotel, Bryher, Isles of Scilly – Highly Commended
Small Visitor Attraction
The Galleries of Justice Museum, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire – Gold
National Trust Coleridge Cottage, Nether Stowey, Somerset – Silver
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire – Bronze
Sustainable Tourism
Little White Alice – your wild Cornish retreat, Carnmenellis, Cornwall – Gold
Bleasdale Cottages, Forest of Bowland, Lancashire – Silver
Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum, Killhope, Weardale – Bronze
Colton House, Colton, Nr Rugeley, Staffordshire – Highly Commended
Newlands Adventure Centre, Keswick, Cumbria – Highly Commended
Taste of England
1884 Dock Street Kitchen, Hull, East Yorkshire – Gold
The Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland, Lancashire – Silver
Eckington Manor, Eckington, Worcestershire – Bronze
Delifonseca Dockside, Brunswick Quay, Liverpool – Highly Commended
River Cottage Canteen and Deli, Plymouth, Devon – Highly Commended
Tourism Event
Kendal Mountain Festival, Kendal, Cumbria – Gold
Beaulieu International Autojumble, Beaulieu, Hampshire – Silver
Elemental Force: Nottinghamshire – Nottingham Castle, Nottinghamshire – BronzeElemental Force: Derbyshire – Chatsworth and the Silk Mill, Derby, Derbyshire – Bronze
Trent Bridge; The Investec Ashes Test West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire – Highly Commended
Tourism Experience
Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story, National Museums Liverpool – Gold
Lindisfarne Gospels Durham – lead partner Durham University, Durham – Silver
Ezekial Bone – Nottingham Robin Hood Town Tour, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire – Bronze
Calvert Trust Exmoor, Barnstaple, Devon – Highly Commended
VisitBlackpool / Blackpool Resort Pass, Lancashire – Highly Commended
Tourism Pub
The Feathered Nest Country Inn, Nether Westcote, Oxfordshire – Gold
The Watermill Inn & Brewery, Ings, Nr Windermere, Cumbria – Silver
The Horse and Jockey, Manton, Rutland – Bronze
The Pandora Inn, Mylor Bridge, Cornwall – Highly Commended
South Causey Inn, Stanley, County Durham – Highly Commended
Visitor Information Provider
Gloucester Tourist Information Centre, Gloucester, Gloucestershire – Gold
English Riviera Tourism Company, Devon – Silver
City of London Information Centre, St Paul's Churchyard, London – Bronze
NewcastleGateshead Visitor Information Service, Newcastle upon Tyne – Highly Commended
Visit Garstang Centre, Lancashire – Highly Commended
Helen Grant,UK Minister for Sport, Tourism & Equalities, speaking at the event said
“The tourism industry is playing a key part in our economic growth strategy and VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence celebrates all the very best visitor experiences on offer and the hugely talented people working within the sector.”
The annual Lancashire Tourism Awards took place at Blackburn Cathedral on 7 November 2013 where 20 awards for tourism excellence across the county were made. Fourteen of these were eligible to progress to the national awards, five made the finals and each received recognition at the event held in Cheltenham on Monday 12 May 2014. Businesses interested in entering the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2014/15 should follow @MarketingLancs on Twitter or bookmark marketinglancashire.com for information coming soon.
<<ENDS>>
For Media enquiries please contact:
Anna Izza, Head of PR and Communications 01772 426 459
Laura Crabb, PR and Communications Executive 01772 426 456
Notes to Editors
1. Marketing Lancashire is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Lancashire, established (1st April 2012). Our activities in marketing and communications, commercial membership and place marketing are all designed to grow the visitor economy and develop the profile of Lancashire as the first choice destination to visit, live, study, work and invest in.
In 2012 Lancashire attracted 62 million visitors who contributed around £3.4 billion to the local economy and helped support 54,804 jobs.
Visit England Notes to Editors.
- The judging panel awarded 15 Gold Awards, 16 Silver Awards and 15 Bronze Awards and 30 Highly Commended winners selected from a total of 368 entries from areas spanning the length and breadth of England.
- Photos of businesses can be found at www.visitenglandawards.org/awards/press and photos from the Award Ceremony including Award Presentation: www.visitenglandawards.org/awards/photos/ceremony.