Hereford family set for national awards spotlight

Herefordshire’s holiday parks are to be represented in the finals of this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, thanks to an enterprising Peterchurch family.

Poston Mill, in the heart of the Golden Valley, will be the only park in Herefordshire taking part in the national tourist board’s finals of the competition on 24 April.

The glittering awards ceremony will take place this year at the Hilton Waldorf hotel in London, and Poston Mill will be one of just three UK parks competing in the holiday park category.

Now the business owners, Wayne and Sarah Jones, will be hoping for a repeat of their success in the same national tourism Oscar awards two years ago.

Then they received the top gold honour in the parks category of the competition, beating nearly 2000 other eligible parks in England to the title.

Poston Mill nestles in 35 acres of tranquil countryside within sight of the Black Mountains, and provides caravan holiday homes to own as well as cottages and holiday caravans to hire.

There are also pitch facilities for families with touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

Poston Mill has come a long way since first being taken over as a basic farm-based park just over 20 years ago by husband-and-wife team Wayne and Sarah.

The couple have invested much time and energy into creating a high quality environment which now draws thousands of guests each year from the UK and overseas.

Accolades received by Poston Mill include the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award which has been presented to the park every year for more than a decade at its top gold level.

The award celebrates the park’s successful efforts to protect and enhance the natural world, including the creation of wildlife conservation areas and the planting of many native trees.

Sarah Jones said everyone was thrilled to be taking part once again in the Excellence finals:

“The VisitEngland awards are as much about the quality of customer service provided as they are about the high standards which the park maintains,” she said.

“We care passionately about both of these, and do everything possible to ensure guests are given a warm welcome and enjoy the very best hospitality.

“It’s a great honour to be bearing the standard for Herefordshire, and we hope it will help raise awareness of this lovely county and its countryside,” added Sarah.

Poston Mill is a member of the Best of British group, a national consortium of independent family-run parks providing the highest standards of customer care.

There is more information about Poston Mill at www.postonmill.co.uk.