At the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards on Thursday night (December 1), Glastonbury Abbey’s Summer Open Day scooped the silver award in the best tourism event/festival of the year category, while its annual Medieval Fayre took the bronze prize. Both were beaten to the top spot by Wells Cathedral’s Festival of the Moon.
Glastonbury Abbey’s Brad Lister said: “We’re absolutely delighted for two of our annual events to be recognised as among the best in Somerset, Bristol and Bath. Our Medieval Fayre grows every year in terms of what is on offer as well as visitor numbers, and it is now one of the highlights in Glastonbury’s annual calendar. And our Summer Open Day is a fantastic opportunity to open our doors to everyone for free, allowing us to reach people who may not have visited us in the past, and many of those either become return visitors or join as members.”
He adds: “These awards are not only for those who take part in our events or come and enjoy them, but more importantly for the brilliant, and small teams which ensure we host some of the best events to Glastonbury.”
The awards ceremony, which took place at Weston-super-Mare’s Winter Gardens, saw 55 finalists from across Somerset, Bristol and Bath compete for gold, silver and bronze awards in a range of categories from best B&B and tearoom to most age and dog friendly businesses.
Awards Director, Nell Barrington said: “It was just great to see these tourism and hospitality businesses get rewarded for their hard work, enthusiasm and excellence. A massive well done to them all. I also wanted to say these awards would not be possible without our fantastic sponsors, supporters and team of volunteer judges so a big thank you must go to them.”
Giles Adams, Chair Visit Somerset said: “Once again we have been able to celebrate, acknowledge and reward those who work hard to achieve the best, here in Somerset. The visitor economy is evolving and I congratulate these dynamic businesses that are demonstrating how to engage with it and formulate outstanding product offers and service levels that will perpetuate Somerset’s reputation as a brilliant destination.”
The abbey’s two winning events will now be considered for entry into the South West Tourism Awards.
Last month, Glastonbury Abbey was nominated as a finalist in three categories at the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) annual awards for event organiser of the year, event of the year for its Medieval Fayre, and small event of the year for Night at the Abbey.
