Press Release

Two tourism 'Oscars' for England's Northwest

24 April 2009

England's top tourism businesses were named in a glittering ceremony in York last night (Thursday 23rd April), and England's Northwest walked away with two Gold Awards, reflecting the increasing quality of the region's tourism offer.

Organised by the new tourism body for England, VisitEngland, the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence are the annual tourism 'Oscars' for English holidays. This year in their 20th year, the awards were held at the National Railway Museum in York to mark St George's Day.

Both of the Northwest winners had previously won at the England's Northwest Tourism Awards, organised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), and prior to that had come out on top at their sub-regional awards.

Winner of Gold in the Business Tourism category was The Rheged Centre in Penrith. Rheged is Europe's largest grass covered building, designed to resemble a Lakeland hill and housing a state of the art conference centre. This unique location has environmental responsibility at the heart of its ethos. It has 7 flexible rooms for 2 to 200 delegates and offers a top quality Green Conference Package.
(www.rheged.com; 01768 868000)

This year's Bed and Breakfast of the Year winner is Augill Castle, a Victorian fantasy of a medieval castle just outside the small market town of Kirkby Stephen. This five star B&B is truly unique; Augill prides itself on its family atmosphere and homemade biscuits and its relaxed style makes it the perfect home from home.
(www.stayinacastle.com; 01768 341937)

Felicity Goodey, Chair of Tourism England's Northwest, said:
"These awards really do set out the best of the best and it is testament to the quality of our tourism product in the Northwest that we are bringing home national awards year on year."

"England's Northwest is fast becoming a recognised, high quality, international visitor destination and that is in a large part because of businesses such as Rheged and Augill Castle, who offer some of the best places to stay and visit in the country. It is important that we continue to invest in this quality if we want to stay ahead of our competitors."

Lady Cobham, new VisitEngland chairman said:
"The Enjoy England Awards for Excellence recognise the rising quality and diversity of holiday experiences on offer in England. On the twentieth anniversary of the awards, we are delighted that there is such a broad range of exciting, unique, high quality holiday experiences on offer in England particularly as holidaymakers are looking to take a break closer to home this year.

"More than ever this year, the winners showcase excellent value for money English breaks and some of England's best-kept secrets from foodie gems and quirky attractions to sustainable coffee shops and inspirational information services. England is an exciting world-class tourism destination, in which to discover something new. We are proud to honour the people behind those outstanding tourism businesses who play a vital role in encouraging visitors to holiday in England."