Tourism award winners announced at glittering event

The crème-de-la-crème of Staffordshire tourism and hospitality have been crowned at this year’s Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism and Good Food Awards.

Following a two-year hiatus due to Coronavirus, businesses from across the county gathered at Keele Hall, Newcastle-under-Lyme, for the glittering black-tie event, which was sponsored by We are Staffordshire.

An audience of more than 250 guests saw the winners of 16 categories, including The Trentham Estate (Large Visitor Attraction of the Year), Foxfield Railway (Small Visitor Attraction of the Year), and No26 at Aston Marina (Independent Restaurant of the Year), announced by the host, BBC Midlands Today’s Rebecca Wood.

The CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers Resort was named Hotel of the Year, while The Meynell Ingram Arms at Hoar Cross, near Burton, was Pub of the Year, and the Ramblers Retreat won the Tea Room/Coffee Shop of the Year award.

The Experience of the Year went to Moddershall Oaks, New Business of the Year was Play@ Lower Drayton Farm, near Penkridge, and Denstone Hall Farm Shop, near Uttoxeter, was the Food & Drink Retailer/Farm Shop of the Year.

B&B and Guest House of the Year was The Little George in Eccleshall, and the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year award went to Mayfield Snuggery, on the Staffordshire-Derbyshire border.

And there were further wins for The Trentham Estate, in the Resilience & Innovation and Unsung Hero categories, and Alton Towers Resort, which was successful in the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism and the Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism categories.

There was also a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism in Staffordshire presented to The Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield, in recognition of his work to position Lichfield Cathedral as a premier historic and religious tourist destination.

Philip White, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for tourism at Staffordshire County Council, said: “Our annual awards are a wonderful celebration of our amazing tourism sector and an event we all look forward to.

“Our tourism businesses continue to deliver year on year, attracting more and more visitors to the county, generating millions of pounds for our local economy and sustaining tens of thousands of jobs.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the sector and I would like to say a huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists.”

The winners of 14 categories progress to represent Staffordshire at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, to be held in June 2022.

Category sponsors at the 2022 Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism & Good Food Awards were RH Advertising, Staffordshire Business & Environment Network, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and Insight6.