Posted: 17th October 2017
It was exciting to be shortlisted as finalists in the Rural Business Awards 2017 in the Best Rural Tourism Business category for our self-catering log cabins and gorgeous glamping pods, set on our working farm in the Derbyshire hills. Being curious I couldn’t resist checking out the competition and was astounded by the high standard of entries.
I nervously awaited the announcement of our category at the glitzy dinner held at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey, and was thrilled and delighted when Hoe Grange Holidays was declared the winner of the Best Rural Tourism Business category!
However the night was not yet over; there were 13 categories, each with 5 finalists so I was stunned and utterly amazed when we went on to scoop the coveted overall “Champion of Champions” Award. With knees shaking and my head in a spin, my husband David and I were asked to give a little speech as we received the award on stage from RBA co-founders Gemma Clifford and Anna Price; obviously this was one speech I had not prepared for!
The Champion of Champions Award makes all our hard work worthwhile and is a testament to the people who have supported us along our journey from dairy farmers to sheep and beef farmers with a successful tourism business running alongside. Having identified a lack of suitable holiday accommodation for those with mobility challenges or visual impairments we have worked hard to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, whilst retaining a home from home feel to our log cabins. We want our guests to go home with happy memories to treasure.
We love to promote other rural businesses and use sustainable, eco friendly materials, so we see the Rural Business Awards as the ultimate recognition for rural enterprises all over the country. It’s obviously a great honour to be named as Champion of Champions at this year’s ceremony and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our business.”
Felicity Brown
