The Bristol Hippodrome wins a Bronze Award at the VisitEngland Awards

South West England again came away with more awards than any other region in this year’s national VisitEngland awards ceremony in Newcastle on Monday 11th May, with 19 Awards overall including 3 Gold awards, 4 Silvers and 4 Bronzes.

77 awards were announced on the night, and with 19 of these from the South West the quality of visitor experience in the region has been reinforced once again.

The Visit England awards link with the South West Tourism Excellence Awards which held its regional awards ceremony in Weston super Mare on 12th February this year.  This followed a rigorous selection process, including judging of 425 entries from across the South West with many of them winning also in the Cornwall Tourism Awards, Dorset Tourism Awards and Devon Tourism Awards. Since January, the regional entries have been pitted against further entries from across the country, with 16 nominees selected as Finalists representing the South West at the VisitEngland awards night in at Sage Gateshead on Monday 11th May. These were joined by 3 winners from the Cotswold awards making the total of 19 from the region.

The top Gold awards went to Devon’s Wheatland Farm for Sustainable Tourism, Cornwall’s Bosinver Farm Cottages for Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year and Dorset’s Bournemouth Air Festival for Tourism Event of the Year.

Silver awards went to Cornwall’s Trethem Mill Touring Park for Holiday Park/Village of the Year, Devon’s The Horn of Plenty for Small Hotel of the Year and Millbrook Cottages for Self Catering, and Gloucestershire’s Ellenborough Park Hotel & Spa for Large Hotel of the Year.

Recipients of valued Bronze awards were The Bristol Hippodrome for Access for All, Cornwall’s Pandora Inn as Tourism Pub of the Year, At-Bristol for Sustainable Tourism and Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.

Also winners on the night were 8 businesses picking up Highly Commended accolades.  From Dorset there was the Green House Hotel and Arbor Restaurant, from the Isles of Scilly the Hell Bay Hotel, from Devon Cofton Country Holidays, from Gloucestershire there was the Cotswold Show and Food Festival and Manor House Hotel, from Bath The Roman Baths and from Cornwall there was Lower Barns Boutique B&B and Kernock Cottages.

Chairman of the South West judging panel, Alistair Handyside, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the South West has come out as the top region at the Visit England National Awards, held in Newcastle on Tyne. Our nineteen finalists make up 25% of the total, once again showing that the South West continues to lead the field in offering the guest the best variety of quality tourism experience in England.”