BUSINESS NEWS
Bath venues celebrate triumphant night at South West Tourism Awards
This year’ s South West Tourism Excellence Awards proved to be a successful evening for numerous Bath-based venues seeing them pick up a total of nine accolades.
The annual event- held in February this year at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay- recognises“ the development of high-quality tourism businesses in the region.”
Lucknam Park, a five-star hotel in Colerne, received two Golds – one for‘ Hotel of the Year’ and one for‘ Spa and Wellbeing Experience of the Year’ – and a Silver for‘ Restaurant / Bistro of the Year.’
Claire Randall, the hotel’ s managing director, remarked that the awards provide a“ great motivation” for local venues.
She added:“ The medals are a reflection of the very hard work the team put in to deliver the best service across all areas of the business.”
The Roman Baths & Pump Room, owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council, landed Gold in the‘ Access & Inclusivity’ and‘ International Visitor Experience’ categories along with a Bronze for‘ Venue and Business Tourism.’
Improvements over the past year at the Roman Baths have included significant developments in facilities for disabled visitors.
Bath & North East Somerset cabinet member for economic and community regeneration, Cllr Paul Myers, said that the awards are“ testament to the hard work put in throughout the year by staff at the Roman Baths.”
Meanwhile, Foot Trails, the Bath-based firm that creates custom-made walking trips, won Silver in the‘ International Visitor Experience of the Year’ category.
Alison Howell, chief executive officer for Foot Trails, said:“ This award recognises my talented team, for exporting and developing walking experiences that encourage international visitors to explore rural South West England.”
Menu Gordon Jones, the“ contemporary” Bath restaurant gained a Bronze in the‘ Restaurant / Bistro of the Year’ category. Owner, Gordon Jones said that it was a“ delight” to be“ representing the very best in the South West.”
Finally, The American Museum in Britain won a Bronze in the‘ Small Attraction of the Year category.’
Jon Ducker, head of visitor experience at the museum insisted, however, that the team would“ not be resting on its laurels,” and will now be“ seeking pursuit of the gold award.”
It was also a good night for various Somerset venues including Wells Cathedral which picked up a Silver medal in the‘ Large Attraction of the Year’ category.
LOCAL PROJECT TEAM REVEALED FOR TWERTON PARK REDEVELOPMENT
A number of Bath-based firms have been confirmed as part of the expert team tasked with bringing forward new Bath City FC stadium and community hub.
Bath City Football Club and Greenacre Capital have revealed the core project team that will be behind the redevelopment of Twerton Park.
Bath’ s award winning Stride Treglown have been appointed as architects for the scheme. They will be joined on the project by services and sustainability engineers BuroHappold and structural and civil engineers Momentum, who are also Bathbased firms.
Jones Lang LaSalle will act as project managers from their Bristol office and Phil Jones Associates as transport consultants for the proposals, which will see part of Bath City FC’ s home ground demolished and replaced with new club and community facilities
Frank Whittle Partnership will join the team as specialist stadium consultants. The
Preston firm has a wealth of experience working on sports grounds around the country.
Nick Blofeld, Chair of Bath City Football Club, said“ We are entering an exciting phase of the history of Bath City FC. Our proposals for a partial redevelopment of the ground and an upgrade of the facilities will not only benefit the Club but also the wider Twerton community.
“ We are determined to keep Bath City in the heart of Twerton and make it an integral part of the community.
“ We are pleased to announce the technical team who will be working on this project and we are even more pleased that the team of professionals includes so many Bath-based firms, who will bring with them a unique insight and understanding of the area.”
FIRST CLASS HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCES WITH AWARD WINNING FOOD
bath-racecourse. co. uk
4 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018