East Lancashire businesses are in the running for tourism awards (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire businesses are in the running for tourism awards

10:43am Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News By Chris Gee, Reporter

A TOP-HATTED teller of tales is among several East Lancashire nominees hoping to be heralded as the elite of the county’s tourism industry.

Tour guide and storyteller Simon Entwistle, from Clith-eroe, is shortlisted for a spec-ial recognition award in the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Board ‘gongs’ which take place next week.

Simon, in demand this year to speak about the Pendle Witches during the 400th anniversary of the trials, is one of 14 nominations from East Lancashire.

He said: “It’s certainly an honour to have been proposed and very unexpected.

“I started the Clitheroe ghost, murder, and mystery tour in 1996, and now run ghost tours in Blackburn, Darwen Colne, Blackpool, Whalley, Skipton, York and Kendal.

“Over the years I have conducted spooky tours of Towneley Hall, Gawthorpe Hall, and Samlesbury Hall, and am a regular at schools across East Lancashire for heritage story-telling which I enjoy very much.”

Other nominees include: Small Hotel of the Year – The Millstone at Mellor, Northcote , Langho; Caravan Holiday Park & Holiday Village Award – Hackings Caravan Park, Bill-ington; Small Visitor Attrac- tion of the Year – Samlesbury Hall; Best Visitor Experience of the Year – Nigel Haworth’s Fantastic Food Show, Black-burn; Business Tourism Award – Browsholme Hall and Tithe Barn, Clitheroe, Northcote at the Rovers, Blackburn; Tourism Pub of the Year – The Millstone at Mellor; Sustainable Tourism Award – Hackings Caravan Park, Clitheroe.

Visitor Information Provid- er Award – Blackburn Visitor Centre; Taste Lancashire Award – The Clog and Billy-cock, Blackburn, The Mills-tone at Mellor; Marketing Campaign of the Year – The Mall Blackburn, re-develop-ment campaign.

The awards will be held at The Guild Hall, Preston on Thursday, September 13.

Blackburn designer Wayne Hemingway will be hosting the tourism awards.

He said: “I’m really del-ighted to have been invited to present the awards, in such a significant year for Lancash-ire, and for the industry as a whole. I’m looking forward to meeting, and congratulating, the people who contribute so much to Lancashire’s thriv-ing visitor economy and the welcoming reputation of which, as a Lancastrian, I’m so proud.”

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