Member Article

Tatton Park secures national award

Tatton Park in Cheshire has been crowned ‘Best Large Visitor Attraction’ in the country beating off a whole host of hopefuls and gaining a prestigious gold award.

The Knutsford beauty spot is managed and financed by Cheshire East Council on behalf of the National Trust and judges from Visit England were left in no doubt that the park is a magnificent magnet for tourism which pulls in more than 800,000 a year.

The Visit England awards celebrate the best of English tourism in the country.

More than 300 attractions were in the running for various categories and, among others, Cheshire East Council beat neighbouring Trentham Estate, in Stoke-on-Trent, for the top spot.

Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “This is a proud day for Cheshire East and just goes to show that the Council is doing a great job in terms of offering a designation that attracts visitors from far and wide.

“The Tatton Vision, an all encompassing forward-looking strategic document, has provided a compelling overview of what Tatton Park is capable of achieving and judges were incredibly impressed by this.

“We have a real ‘jewel in the crown’ with Tatton Park and this is testimony to all the hard work from staff over the years. Well done!

“Tourism for Cheshire East is booming – with visitor numbers swelling to 13.9 million last year and the Borough’s visitor economy worth a record £737m. This is great news for boosting jobs and businesses across Cheshire East.

“At the same time, we are investing in infrastructure to make our towns and country parks even more appealing to visitors – and to improve the quality of life for Cheshire East residents.”

In the ‘Large Visitor Attraction’ category, Tatton beat: Trebah Garden in Falmouth, Cornwall (Silver Award); Walby Farm Park, in Carlisle, Cumbria (Bronze Award); and Trentham Estate in Stoke-on-Trent and Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (both received a ‘highly commended’ award).

Around a year ago, Tatton Park embarked on its five-year plan to substantially develop its visitor experiences by increasing the attractions and activities on offer.

By 2016/17 it is expected that one million visitors a year will visit Tatton Park and enjoy these experiences.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .