Barrow & Furness

The winners of the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2009 were announced a ceremony at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal last week.

Each winner received a certificate and a specially designed award, handcrafted by Jonathan Stamper of the High Head Sculpture Valley.

The successful businesses were :

• The Sheila Hensman Award for Most Outstanding Customer Service – Jennifer Taylor, The Archway Guest House, Windermere
• Unsung Hero – David Rhodes, Graythwaite Manor Hotel, Grange-over-Sands
• The Lady Inglewood Award for Innovative People Management – Chris Carss, Rothay Garden, Grasmere
• Large Hotel of the Year – The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal
• Small Hotel of the Year – Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel, Windermere
• Bed & Breakfast of the Year – Storrs Gate House, Bowness
• Self Catering Holiday of the Year – Hall Hills, Carlisle
• Holiday Park of the Year – Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park, Keswick
• Tourism Website of the Year – The Ambleside Salutation Hotel, Ambleside
• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Walby Farm Park, Crosby on Eden, Carlisle
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – Wordsworth House and Garden, Cockermouth
• Taste of Cumbria Award of the Year – Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop, Kendal
• Tourism Experience Award – Silverband Falconry, Kirkby Stephen
• Sustainable Tourism Award – Langdale Leisure Ltd, Great Langdale
• Business Tourism Award – Warwick Mill Meeting Rooms, Carlisle

A famous tourist attraction in Ulverston is set to move into new premises.

Next month the Laurel and Hardy Museum will move from its current base in Upper Brook Street to a new home in the Roxy Arts and Entertainment Centre on Brodgen Street.

Plans to turn a former bowling alley at Hollywood Park in Barrow into a retail store have been rejected by the local council.

Standard Life, the premises owners, have been refused planning permission by Barrow Borough Council to allow furnishings retailer Dunelm Mill to trade from the empty unit.

Councillors argued that the unit should be used for leisure purposes only.

For more than thirty-five years, The Cumbria Steam & Vintage Vehicle Society has been bringing together vintage and steam vehicles from across the world, to Flookburgh, for one massive summer event.

This year the 2009 Cumbria Steam Gathering is as huge as ever with more than 1,200 catalogued classic exhibits, a traditional fair, displays, specialist caterers and crafts.

Held on 25th and 26th July 2009 on Cark Airfield, Flookburgh, the Cumbria Steam Gathering is a colourful and noisy weekend event that has a whole host of entertainment, with majestic steam engines and commercial vehicles of a by gone era, as well as hundreds of classic transport favourites like cars, motorcycles, bicycles, agricultural and industrial tractors, farm equipment and stationary engines.

This family day out also has plenty to keep the children entertained with magic shows, miniature remote controlled car racing and the traditional fairground, boasting vintage rides and attractions that are nearly 100 years old.

Popular highlights are the arena displays where a constant parade of vintage treasures can be seen as well as ploughing demonstrations, chain saw carving exhibitions, kite-flying displays and wrestling bouts from the Cumberland and Westmorland Academy. In addition, there is the opportunity to drive a traction engine and have a ride in a helicopter!

This year’s headlining entertainment is the PAVCC Field Gun Display Team. The Portsmouth Area Volunteer Cadet Corps are two teams of cadets ranging from 9 to 16 years old. These young cadets, compete to beat the clock, assembling their military equipment and racing over the challenging obstacle course. Elsewhere, Richard Savory introduces a fun, entertaining and educational sheep show, including shearing demonstrations as well as “The Sheep Show Shuffle” – dancing sheep!

Tim Holt from Hutton Roof near Carnforth was one of the club’s founding members. He was chief steward at the very first Cumbria Steam Gathering and is now the event’s main organiser heading a team of 10 which themselves lead almost 500 volunteers.

Tim said, “My enthusiasm for this wonderful event has never waned, even after all these years. This year’s show promises to be a fantastic weekend with marquees full of working models, fascinating automobilia and enthusiasts who are happy to share their collections with other enthusiasts. We always have some wonderful refreshments including a fully licensed bar and various cuisines from around the world.”

To help reunite lost toddlers and young children, the Cumbria Steam Society provides free wristbands throughout the event. There is also wheel chair accessible toilets and ample and free parking for blue badge holders.

Cumbria Steam Gathering takes place from 9.00am – 6pm on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July 2009, at Cark Airfield, Flookburgh. Car parking is free.

Admission prices are: Adults £10, Senior Citizens £7, accompanied children under 16 are free. There are discounts available for coach parties. For further information call 015242 71584.

Several farm shops from North West England featured in a list of the 50 Best Farm Shops in the UK, published in the Independent newspaper last week.

The successful stores were the Westmorland Farm Shop at the Tebay Services near Penrith, Low Sizergh Barn near Kendal, Holker Food Hall at Holker Hall near Grange-over-Sands, and the Hollies (shops at Little Budworth in Cheshire and Lower Stretton near Warrington).

The list was compiled by Henrietta Green (founder of Food Lovers Britain), Matthew Drennan (editor of Delicious magazine), and Amanda Smyth (Head of Marketing, Enjoy England).

Budget hotel operator Travelodge is currently offering rooms at just £9 per night.

The offer is available on this special page on their website and is valid for bookings made now for stays between February and April 2009.

Rooms for other dates are also available from £19 and £29 provided bookings are made 7 and 21 days ahead respectively.

Travelodge has announced that it will open 22 hotels across the country between now and Christmas. New hotels in the North West will include the Travelodge Blackpool Tower and the Travelodge Blackpool Tower. Both are opening late December.

The budget hotel group is currently offering thousands of rooms at only £19 for stays in December and January. They can be booked via this special page on their website.

Tourism businesses in the North West were honoured at the Northwest Tourism Awards last week. The event was held at St George’s Hall in Liverpool on October 22 and was hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Winners and finalists included:

Large Hotel of the Year

Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, Manchester (Winner)
Cottons Hotel and Spa, Knutsford
Macdonald Old England Hotel and Spa, Bowness
Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Marriott Liverpool City Centre Hotel

Small Hotel of the Year

White House Manor, near Macclesfield (Winner)
Appleby Manor, Appleby
The Shireburn Arms Hotel, Clitheroe

Bed and Breakfast of the Year

Augill Castle, Kirkby Stephen (Winner)
Number One, South Beach, Blackpool (Highly Commended)
Moss Lodge, Rochdale
42 Caldy Road, West Kirby
Sand Hollow Farm, Burwardsley

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Manchester Art Gallery (Winner)
Ness Botanic Gardens, Neston
South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton in Furness
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

The Quaker Tapestry Exhibition, Kendal (Winner)
Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre, Cotebrook
Farmer Ted’s Farm Park, Ormskirk
Smithills Hall, Bolton
Mersey Ferries Manchester Ship Canal Cruises

Self Catering Holiday of the Year

The Beach House, Blackpool (Winner)
Staying Cool, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Premier Apartments, Liverpool
Mellow Brook Cottage at Harrop Fold Farm, Macclesfield
The Lodge Holiday Cottage, Hayton

Holiday Park of the Year

Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Park, Windermere (Winner)
Newton Hall Holiday Park, Blackpool
Manor Wood Country Caravan Park, Coddington

Excellence in Business Tourism

The Rheged Centre, Penrith (Winner)
Park Royal Hotel, Warrington (Highly Commended)
Barton Grange Hotel, Preston
Manchester United
The Conference Centre at LACE, Liverpool

Taste of England’s Northwest

Roses Tea Room, Heswall (Winner)
The Hollies Farm Shop, Cheshire (Highly Commended)
The Village Bakery Melmerby
Northcote Manor, Langho
Isinglass Restaurant, Urmston

Tourism Experience of the Year

Manchester International Festival (Winner)
Tate Liverpool – Turner Prize (Highly Commended)
Shacklabank Free Range Walking, Sedbergh (Highly Commended)
Byways Breaks, Cheshire
Downy Duckling Experience, WWT Martin Mere
Lancashire Food Festival, Accrington
Cholmondeley Fireworks Concert and Garden Party

Excellence in Customer Service

Gary Henshall – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool (Winner)
Julie Lyons – De Vere Carden Park Hotel, Chester
Daniel Fairweather, Windermere Marina Village
Pam Simpson – World of Glass, St Helens
Madge Butler – Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport

Sustainable Tourism Award

Palace Hotel, Manchester (Winner)
Cote How Organic Guest House, Rydal (Highly Commended)

RSPB Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, Silverdale
Carden Park Hotel, Chester

Tourism for All Award

The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven (Winner)
The Trafford Centre, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Wyre Estuary Country Park
The National Wildflower Centre, Knowsley

Tourist Information Centre of the Year

Congleton TIC (Winner)
Fleetwood TIC (Highly Commended)
Manchester Visitor Centre
St.Helens TIC
Keswick TIC

South Lakeland District Council confirmed that a statue of comedy duo Laurel and Hardy will be installed on Ulverston’s County Square as part of improvement plans due for completion in 2009.

The £60,000 statue was paid for by the Laurel and Hardy Fan Club and has been in storage since 2005. It was created by Graham Ibbeson who also made the Eric Morecambe statue in Morecambe.

Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890.

The National Trust is opening many of its properties to the public for free on this weekend for Heritage Open Days.

Properties in the North West include

Acorn Bank Garden & Watermill – Penrith
Beatrix Potter Gallery – Hawshead
Dalton Castle – Dalton-in-Furness
Gawthorpe Hall – Padiham
Hill Top – Hawkshead
Little Moreton Hall – Congleton
Lyme Park – Cheshire
Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate – Cheshire
Rufford Old Hall – Ormskirk
Sizergh Castle and Garden – Kendal
Townend – Windermere
Wordsworth House – Cockermouth
Wray Castle – Windermere

Heritage Open Day is a nationwide initiative by the Civic Trust and English Heritage which sees many buildings, which are normally closed or charge a fee, open their doors for free.

For full details visit the National Trust website.