Screech Owl Sanctuary was crowned Winner of Winners at last night’s Cornwall Tourism Awards.
After six months of assessing evidence and 131 judging visits, the winners were revealed at a gala ceremony held at The Headland Hotel in Newquay, with guest speaker, Olympic rowing champion, Helen Glover.
While Screech Owl Sanctuary also took Gold for Small Attraction and Silver for Access & Inclusivity, there was also an Outstanding Contribution award to Mother Ivey’s Bay’s Patrick Langmaid, for commitment to investment, accessibility, sustainability and staff rewards.
The 26 award categories covered everything from surf schools, cafes and hotels to cottages, spas and holiday parks.
Other Gold winners on the night included the front of house team at the Headland Hotel, Hell Bay Hotel, Carbis Bay Hotel and Spa, Old Lanwarnick Cottages, Wadebridge B&B, Polmanter Touring Park, Visit Truro and Gwel an Mor Resort.
Food and Drink Golds went to Boscastle Farm Shop, The Pandora Inn and The Fish House. The two Self Catering Golds went to Mullion Cove luxury apartments and The Old Barn Tregonetha, while Attraction Golds went to Tintagel and Screech Owl Sanctuary.
Mylor Sailing School took Gold for Access and Inclusivity, with Lanhydrock, Adventure Segway, Rick Stein’s Cookery School and C Bay Spa taking the Experience Golds.
The Glamping Gold was awarded to Safari Cornwall, while Perran Sands won Gold for being Wildlife Friendly and Select South West Tours was awarded for its International appeal. The Gold for Tourism Event & Festival went to Looe Music Festival.
Successful businesses in the Cornwall Awards will be fast tracked into matching categories in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February 2018 and possibly invited to represent Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the 2018 National VisitEngland Awards.
2017/18 WINNERS & HIGHLY COMMENDED
ACCESS & INCLUSIVITY AWARD
Gold
- Mylor Sailing School
Silver
- Screech Owl Sanctuary
Bronze
- Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park
Highly Commended
- Pentewan Sands Holiday Park
ACTIVE & SPORTING EXPERIENCE
Gold
- Lanhydrock, National Trust
Silver
- Newquay Activity Centre
- Scilly Seal Snorkelling
Highly Commended
- Mylor Sailing School
- Retallack Resort and Spa
- Ticket To Ride Surf School
ARTISTIC, CULTURAL & LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Gold
- Rick Stein’s Cookery School
Silver
- National Maritime Museum Cornwall
Bronze
- Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Highly Commended
- Miracle Theatre
BED AND BREAKFAST OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Wadebridge Bed and Breakfast
Silver
- Lower Barns Boutique B&B
Highly Commended
- The Old Rectory
- The Wheelhouse Guest House
CAFÉ/TEAROOM OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Boscastle Farm Shop & Cafe
Silver
- Talland Bay Beach Cafe
Bronze
- The Cornish Pantry at Cornwall Gold
- The Thirstea Co
CAMPING AND CARAVANNING PARK OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Polmanter Touring Park
Silver
- Dolbeare Park
Bronze
- Trevalgan Touring Park
DOG FRIENDLY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Old Lanwarnick Cottages
Silver
- Mullion Cove Hotel
Bronze
- Karma St Martin’s
Highly Commended
- Talland Bay Hotel
GLAMPING & ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
Gold
- Safari Cornwall
Silver
- Boswarthen Farm
- East Thorne Yurts and Cottages
GUIDED TOUR
Gold
- Adventure Segway
Silver
- Encounter Cornwall
Bronze
- Koru Kayaking
Highly Commended
- Bude Canoe Experience
- iWalk Cornwall
- Select South West Tours
HOLIDAY PARK OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Gwel an Mor Resort
Silver
- Pentewan Sands Holiday Park
Bronze
- The Park
INTERNATIONAL VISITOR EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Select South West Tours
Silver
- Cornwall Plus
- Pentewan Sands Holiday Park
LARGE HOTEL OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Carbis Bay Hotel, Spa and Estate
Silver
- The Headland Hotel & Spa
Bronze
- The Alverton Hotel
LARGE ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Tintagel Castle
Silver
- The Minack Theatre
Bronze
- Camel Creek Adventure Park
OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE
Gold
- The Front of House team at The Headland Hotel & Spa
RESTAURANT/BISTRO OF THE YEAR
Gold
- The Fish House
Silver
- The Star Castle Restaurant
Bronze
- Amelies
SELF CATERING HOLIDAY PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Mullion Cove Luxury Harbour Apartments
Silver
- The Headland Cottages
Bronze
- Bosinver Farm Cottages
Highly Commended
- North Coast Holiday Cottages
- Tregarthen’s Hotel and Cottages
SELF CATERING PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Old Barn Tregonetha
Silver
- Lower Marsh Farm
SMALL ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Screech Owl Sanctuary
Silver
- Lappa Valley Steam Railway
Bronze
- St Austell Brewery
SMALL/BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Hell Bay Hotel
Silver
- Mullion Cove Hotel
Bronze
- Talland Bay Hotel
Highly Commended
- Karma St. Martin’s
- The Port Gaverne Hotel
SPA AND WELLBEING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR
Gold
- C Bay Spa, St Ives
Silver
- The Headland Hotel & Spa
Bronze
- Bosinver Farm Cottages
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD
Gold
- Wild Futures, The Monkey Sanctuary
Silver
- Old Barn Tregonetha
- The Olde House
TOURISM EVENT/FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Looe Music Festival
Silver
- Islands’ Regatta
Bronze
- Porthleven Food & Music Festival
TOURISM PUB OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Pandora Inn
Silver
- The Blue Peter Inn
- The Gurnard’s Head
VENUE AND BUSINESS TOURISM AWARD
Gold
- Carbis Bay Hotel, Spa and Estate
Silver
- China Fleet Country Club
- The Headland Hotel & Spa
VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICE OF THE YEAR
Gold
- Visit Truro
Silver
- Bude Tourist Information Centre
Bronze
- Bodmin Information Centre
Highly Commended
- Launceston Tourist Information Centre
WILDLIFE FRIENDLY TOURISM BUSINESS AWARD
Gold
- Bourne Leisure Perran Sands
Silver
- Feadon Farm Wildlife Conservation Centre at Gwel an Mor Resort
Bronze
- Forest Holidays Deerpark
Highly Commended
- Lower Marsh Farm
- Windsworth
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TOURISM
- Patrick Langmaid, Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park
WINNER OF WINNERS
- Screech Owl Sanctuary
