Final shortlist announced for Yorkshire's White Rose Awards

More than 100 businesses have made the shortlist across 17 separate categories, from the best Yorkshire pub to holiday parks and self-catering cottages.

The awards, the biggest in the business, aim to recognise the best of what the industry has to offer in Yorkshire, from the smallest B&B to hugely popular visitor attractions.

“Yorkshire’s tourism is a remarkable sector with fantastic hospitality, facilities and produce on offer,” said Colin Mellors, chairman of the White Rose Award judges.

“Those shortlisted should feel very proud to have been selected against such strong competition.

“Choosing the eventual winners this year will be a really tough task.”

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Once again the entries have been exceptional across all categories, so a huge congratulations to those who have made the shortlist.

“As the largest celebration of tourism in the UK, the White Rose Awards are a fitting tribute to Yorkshire’s fantastically diverse businesses that work tirelessly to help to make the county number one.”

Many hundreds of people will attend a sparkling ceremony later this year to find out which of the finalists listed has won a coveted prize.

History was made last year when more than 1,000 people watched Take That superstar, Gary Barlow, and co-writer of The Girls musical, Tim Firth, made honorary Yorkshiremen at the first direct arena in Leeds.

Guests at the awards ceremony included Lizzie Jones, widow of rugby league star Danny Jones, who opened the show, the original Calendar Girls, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos players as well as stars from the Emmerdale series.

Tourism in Yorkshire is worth around £7bn to the local economy and the county’s industry employs almost a quarter of a million people across the region.

The White Rose Awards are the biggest tourism event of its kind in the UK today, organisers say, and it does mean a tremendous amount to an independent business to take home one of the highly coveted prizes.

“For us, it was the ultimate accomplishment,” said Charlotte Shaw, director of Lottie Shaw’s bakery in Elland which won the Taste of Yorkshire award sponsored by The Yorkshire Post last year. “We were delighted to win it. We’re a Yorkshire brand. It helped build customer confidence in our products.

“I think it’s one of the most recognised awards there is - so many of our customers are Welcome to Yorkshire members. Yorkshire itself has become a brand.

“To have Welcome to Yorkshire endorsing our brand, and what we stand for, is one of our biggest achievements.”

THE FULL LIST:

Arts and Culture: Huddersfield Literature Festival; Kunsthuis Gallery, Crayke; Swaledale Festival; The Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds; York Theatre Royal; Yorkshire Young Sinfonia.

Business Tourism: Lakeside Conference Centre at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sandhutton; Pavilions of Harrogate; The Camp Hill Estate, Kirklington; The Royal York Hotel; York Conferences.

Guest Accommodation: Barnfield House, Sheffield; Cambridge House Countryside Guesthouse, Reeth; Grassfield Hall, Pateley Bridge; Low Mill Guesthouse, Bainbridge; No. 21 York; Stow House, Aysgarth.

Holiday Park: Burton Constable Holiday Park and Arboretum, Sproatley; Holme Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Holmfirth; Humble Bee Leisure, Scarborough; Masons Campsite, Appletreewick; Robin Hood Caravan and Camping Park, Slingsby; Weir Holiday Park, Stamford Bridge; Wolds Edge Holiday Lodges, Bishop Wilton.

Inns and Restaurants with Rooms: Ellerby Country Inn; Shibden Mill Inn; The Charles Bathurst Inn, Arkengarthdale; The Fairfax Arms, Gilling East; The Star Inn at Harome; Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton.

Large Hotel: Gisborough Hall; Holdsworth House Hotel and Restaurant, Halifax; Leopold Hotel, Sheffield; The Coniston Hotel, Country Estate and Spa, Coniston Cold; The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa, Bolton Abbey; Wood Hall Hotel and Spa, Wetherby;

Large Visitor Attraction: Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth; Cannon Hall Farm, Cawthorne; RSPB Bempton Cliffs; The Forbidden Corner, Coverham; The Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes; Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre, Sheffield; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield.

Outstanding Customer Service: Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate; Forest Holidays, Cropton; The 36 bus. Riding Redefined, Harrogate; The Grand Hotel and Spa, York; Yorebridge House, Bainbridge; Tong Garden Centre

Self-catering: Broadgate Farm Cottages, Beverley; Cottage in the Dales, Newbiggin, Leyburn; Dalesend Cottages, Patrick Brompton, Bedale; Elmet Farmhouse, Hebden Bridge; Faweather Grange Lodges, High Eldwick; Smallshaw Farm Cottages, Millhouse Green, Sheffield; Studford Luxury Lodges, Ampleforth

Small Hotel: Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbana Spa, Helmsley; Herriots Hotel, Skipton; The Pheasant Hotel, Harome; The Talbot Hotel, Malton; Grassington House.

Small Visitor Attraction: Burton Constable Hall and Grounds, Skirlaugh; National Centre for Birds of Prey, Duncombe Park; National Emergency Services Museum, Sheffield; Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens; The World of James Herriot, Thirsk; Yorkshire Trike Tours, Horsforth.

Taste of Yorkshire: Asparagus Green Catering, Overton, Wakefield; Drewton’s Farm Shop, South Cave; High Parks Tearoom, Newton le Willows, Bedale; Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton, Bradford; The Spiced Pear, Holmfirth; Yorkshire Food Finder, Wheldrake, York .

Visitor Information: Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre; Bradford Visitor Information Centre; Bridlington Tourist Information Centre; Doncaster Tourist

Information Centre; Hebden Bridge Visitor Centre; Humber Bridge Tourist Information Centre

Yorkshire Event: Dale Power Solutions P1 Yorkshire Grand Prix of the Sea; Flying Scotsman’s return to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and National Railway Museum; Frightwater Valley; HallowScream at York Maze; Hebden Bridge Arts Festival; Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival.

Yorkshire Producers and Makers: Beaver Furniture, Thirsk; Dalesbread, Settle; Sloemotion, Barton-le-Willows; The Sawley Kitchen, Ripon; Tipple Tiles from

Wadsley Hall Farm Kitchen, Sheffield; Yorkshire Heart Vineyard and Brewery, Nun Monkton

Yorkshire Pub: The Black Hat, Ilkley; The Chequers Inn, Bilton-in-Ainsty; The Coach and Horses, Harrogate; The Crown and Cushion, Welburn; The Swan and Talbot, Wetherby.

Yorkshire Restaurant : 1884 Wine and Tapas Bar, Hull; Prashad, Drighlington; The Coach House at Middleton Lodge; The Hare Restaurant, Scawton; The Star Inn the City, York; The Westwood Restaurant, Beverley