Worcestershire Welcome Awards - First-ever winners announced last night
The winners of the first-ever Welcome Worcestershire tourism awards were announced last night.
Voting for the Worcestershire Welcome Awards, an initiative by Destination Worcestershire, the official public/private partnership created to promote excellence in local tourism, resulted in hundreds of nominations being received for an eclectic range of establishments across the county.
The competition was closely fought but the winners and runners up were announced last night at a ceremony held at Fusion Brasserie in Stoulton.
The Worcestershire Welcome Awards comprised four main awards with the top accolade going to the warmest Worcestershire welcome chosen from the winners of the following:
• Best Worcestershire Breakfast - breakfast is one of the most important meals of a stay away. We are looking for the establishment that provides a winner of a breakfast using regional produce
Winner – The Orchard Café, Worcester Country Park
Highly Commended – Windrush Bed & Breakfast, Broadway
Highly Commended – Tiltridge Vineyard Bed & Breakfast, Upton
Judged & presented by Wyvern FM Breakfast Show presenter Helen Wheels
• Eat & Drink Worcestershire - as well as offering great food and drink at affordable prices, this award will acknowledge the use of seasonal and regional produce together with provenance of the products. This will extend to all the staff and not just the proprietors. including farm shops and retail outlets
Winner - Fusion Brasserie, Stoulton
Highly commended - Pepper & Oz, Malvern
Highly commended - Little Ginger Pig Company, Worcester Art Gallery
Highly commended - Greenhouse Café, Holloways, Suckley
Judged & presented by Worcester News
• Worcestershire Awareness - aimed at places which are able to advise on what Worcestershire has to offer visitors throughout the year - from restaurant recommendations to seasonal celebrations such as the Asparagus Run. This is not about establishments that offer activities themselves at a cost but those that are genuinely interested in promoting the region
Winner - JDR Leisure – The Elgar Suite
• Worcestershire Nights - an award aimed at an establishment which creates a welcoming ambiance, offers more than is expected, great value for money and, above all, a good night's sleep
Winner – Windrush Bed & Breakfast, Broadway
Highly Commended – JDR Leisure/ Elgar Suite
Highly Commended – Victoria Villas Bed & Breakfast, Stourport
• Warmest Worcestershire Welcome - the top award chosen from the winners of all the other categories
Windrush Guest House - Broadway
A special award was also presented to Felice and Fiorinda Tocchini of Fusion Brasserie for their outstanding contribution to tourism in the county.
Each of the winners was presented with a cast iron plaque to display outside their establishment and a certificate.
Commenting on the success of the awards, Rod Nipper, Destination Worcestershire’s manager, said:
"We were delighted with the level of interest and the high quality of entries, together with numbers, for the awards - especially as this was the first year we have run them. It's important to recognize businesses that make a real effort with their quality and commitment on an on-going basis to ensure visitors to the county get the best possible experience. We look forward to the awards being a regular feature of the tourism calendar and look forward to the 2010 Worcestershire Welcome Awards".
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