Northumberland picks up two Gold awards at national tourism awards

Northumberland scooped two national tourism awards, with one business winning the country's best tourism experience for the second consecutive year.

Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours became the first businesses to win gold for two consecutive years in the awards' history for its grey seals and seabirds cruise. Duncan Wise, who has worked at Northumberland National Park in 24 years and was instrumental in obtaining dark skies status for Northumberland, also took the gold in the unsung hero category.

Blackfriars restaurant received a silver in the Taste of England category and Rockliffe Hall Hotel retained its bronze in the large hotel of the year category from 2023. The awards, which aim to champion the very best of England's tourism industry, were held at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, with all of the North East businesses qualifying after taking gold at the North East Tourism Awards in February.

• Read more: See the rare moment an Arctic tern lays on egg on the Farne Islands

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Andrew Douglas, owner of Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours, said: "It is absolutely amazing, to have won the first time was brilliant, but to get Gold for a second year in a row is just fantastic. The night was made even more special as it was also my daughter, Charlie’s 18th Birthday, and she was there to celebrate along with me.

"The hard work and dedication of our staff is what makes this experience so special, the Farne Islands are an amazing place but the staff help to bring it to life for visitors and make it a memorable trip for everyone."

Duncan Wise, of Northumberland National Park, said of his win: "It’s an honour to be recognised on a national level for following my passion to conserve our vital dark skies and support people in discovering how wonderful they are. I feel truly fortunate to work every day with colleagues, volunteers, and partners who share my passion for Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and I hope will continue to conserve these wonderful skies for future generations to enjoy."

Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland, said that the county's tourism businesses never failed to amaze and that the latest awards recognised it as a "stellar" visitor destination. He added: "Northumberland stole the show at the North East Tourism Awards, winning nine of the available fourteen categories, and to see two of our businesses take home gold at the national awards is an honour.

"We would like to wish a huge congratulations to Serenity, Duncan Wise and Northumberland National Park for this fantastic result."