Stars of tourism in Yorkshire to gather for glittering awards

The White Rose Awards, organised by Welcome to Yorkshire, celebrate the best attractions, hospitality and events that the region has to offer.

Prizes will be awarded across 16 categories at a glittering black-tie dinner at New Dock Hall in Leeds.

Judges sifted through a record number of entries this year, with nearly 300 hotels, restaurants, pubs and attractions putting themselves forward – a quarter of which had never entered before.

The independent chairman of judges, Professor Colin Mellors, said: “Strength in depth best describes our entries this year which were of a really high quality. We had to take some incredibly difficult decisions when it came to shortlisting, and that is testament to the standard of these Yorkshire tourism businesses.”

Prof Mellors was joined in whittling down the shortlist by former Yorkshire Post editor Peter Charlton, along with AA area manager and senior hotel and restaurant inspector Andrew Ford and food writer Elaine Lemm.

The awards come just days after Yorkshire was singled out by travel guide Lonely Planet as being the third best region in the world to visit in 2014.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said: “This promises to be one of the most exciting awards yet and the quality of applications has been breathtaking. Making the shortlist is in itself a huge achievement and testament to the work our tourism businesses do to raise the bar nationally and even internationally.

In the running for the best large attraction prize are: the National Railway Museum and Jorvik Viking Centre, both York; Beningbrough Hall and Gardens, near York; Castle Howard, near Malton; Eureka, Halifax; and the Hepworth gallery, Wakefield.

Vying for the best small attraction award are: the Ryedale Folk Museum, Kirkbymoorside; the Thackray Medical Museum and Marks in Time exhibition at the M&S Company Archive, both Leeds; the World of James Herriot, Thirsk; Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield; and Burnby Hall and gardens, Pocklington.

In with a shot at the arts and 
culture prize are: York Mystery Plays; Millennium Gallery, Sheffield; Theatre Royal and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, both Wakefield; Northern Ballet, South Asian Arts, and White Cloth Gallery, all Leeds.

The taste of Yorkshire award will be a battle between: Staal Smokehouse, Beverley; Showroom Workstation, Sheffield; Yorkshire Provender, Northallerton; York Cocoa House; Puckett’s Pickles, York; Propermaid, Huddersfield; and Raisthorpe Manor, Malton.

Bidding to be named best tourism event are York’s Jorvik Viking Festival, Mystery Plays and Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival and York Maze Hallowscream; Sheffield City Hall’s 80th anniversary celebration and Stockeld Park’s Christmas adventure, Wetherby.

The business tourism prize could go to: the Spa, Bridlington; National Railway Museum, York; Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham; Scarborough Spa; York Marriott Hotel; York Conferences; or the National Media Museum, Bradford.

Competing for the best visitor information centre award are those at Ilkley, Doncaster, the Humber Bridge, Bridlington, Reeth and Aysgarth.

The award for outstanding customer service will go to either: Now and Then Events, York; the INN at Hawnby, Helmsley; Robin Hood Caravan Park, Malton; the management team at Stockeld Park; Web Adventure Park, York; or Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton.