Access For All

Tourism ExSEllence Gold Award Winner for Access for All in 2009

Winner of the Gold Award for Access for All was the Abbey Guest House in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Silver Awards went to - amongst others - the Longridge Outdoor Activity Centre, Marlow and the Five Arrows Hotel, Waddesdon both in Buckinghamshire, whilst Berkshire successes included Racing at Ascot, who were nominated for a Silver and a Highly Commended Award. Also Highly Commended were The Chestnuts at Shilton in Oxfordshire, Jamie Turner of the Aylesbury Information Centre, Shakespeare House in Grendon Underwood and the Crowne Plaza in Marlow.

Terry Boswell, with husband Peter, left, and Gyles Brandreth who presented the Award.

This year's Awards received the highest number of entries ever. The quality was superb resulting in a highly competitive field. The judges were on the lookout for excellence, quality and innovation, covering all aspects of the business from customer service, sales & marketing, to training & development for staff. They praised all the shortlisted businesses, calling the Abbey Guest House "an example of best practice" which gives "a clear commitment to providing an accessible environment." The Five Arrows Hotel was picked out for its "wonderful building, exciting new vision [and]… high quality restaurant", as well as a number of other features. Meanwhile, Racing at Ascot: Family Fun Day, impressed the judges with its "strong customer service ethos… value for money … [and] continued excellence."

Mike Bedingfield, Chief Executive of Tourism South East, comments on this year's successes, "I am delighted at the exceptionally high standard of entries presented to the judges this year. The Awards are all about showcasing the very best the Beautiful South has to offer and this year, the selection process was both exciting and challenging. I congratulate all the finalists on their success and look forward to seeing the winners go forward to the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence in 2010, which I am thrilled to say will be taking place for the first time in Brighton."

More information about this year's Tourism ExSEllence Awards can be found at www.getdiscovered2009.co.uk

Runner-Up in 2008

Terry Boswell, with husband Peter, left, and Simon Calder who presented the award certificate that year.