A Cornish holiday park which champions responsible business practices has led the celebrations at this year’s Cornwall Tourism Awards.

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park, south of Padstow, picked up Gold awards for Access & Inclusivity and Holiday Park & Village as well as the prestigious Winner of Winners award.

The black-tie ceremony, hosted last night at Newquay’s Headland Hotel, saw leading figures from across the South West’s tourism Industry come together to celebrate the best that the county has to offer.  Comedian Rory McGrath congratulated winners across 24 categories covering everything from B&Bs and holiday parks, to pubs and activity providers.

Earlier this year, Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park became the first UK holiday park accredited as paying the voluntary Living Wage, and, just weeks ago, received the Living Wage Champion Award from the Living Wage Foundation.  The Park has now gone a step further, securing recognition of excellence from its own industry.

In addition to double ‘gold’ and ‘winner of winner’, Park Director Patrick Langmaid accepted a silver award in the dog friendly accommodation category on behalf of the team.  Speaking after the event, Patrick said “We’re delighted to have been recognised as being amongst the best that the Cornish tourism industry has to offer.  At Mother Ivey’s Bay, we work hard to deliver excellence in everything we do and our awards this evening are tribute to the dedication of a team that works tirelessly to create special holiday experiences for our guests.”

Malcolm Bell, Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall, said: “To win a Cornwall Tourism Award takes dedication, hard-work and a 360 degree commitment to excellence across the business. Each and every one of the winning businesses should be proud of their trophies and the vital part they play in Cornwall’s success as a leading visitor destination. It is thanks to businesses such as those recognised by the Cornwall Tourism Awards that Cornwall is synonymous with quality.”

Successful businesses in the Cornwall Awards will be fast tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February 2016 and possibly invited to represent Cornwall in the National VisitEngland Awards later in 2016.