Smithills Hall wins regional tourism award
As seen on TV...
Smithills Hall has provided the setting for a number of productions including BBC’s Spinechillers series, Channel 4’s Bo Selecta, ITV’s Trouble in Paradise and Little Bird, and Sky TV’s Most Haunted.
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The award was presented to representatives from Bolton Council by ex-Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsey at glittering gala dinner at Manchester Central.
The event was attended by around 400 of the most influential people from across Greater Manchester’s Tourism industry.
Judges complemented the staff and volunteers at Smithills Hall describing them as an “absolute credit to the attraction” and commented on consistently high scores achieved during mystery shopping exercises.
Smithills Hall is one of Bolton’s original family homes and one of the oldest and best preserved manor houses in the North West, which reflects the changes in fashions and living conditions from the 14th to the 20th century. It also contains fine examples of 17th to 19th century furniture, paintings and decorative arts.
The Council resumed management of Smithills Hall in April 2006 working alongside the dedicated Friends of Smithills Hall organisation which plays a major role in helping care for the building and bringing it to life for visitors.
In recent years a new events programme has been established which has succeeding in attracting new and repeat visitors to the hall, and increasing visitor numbers in the peak periods by 52 per cent last year.
Smithills Hall was one of 10 applications submitted to the tourism awards, with help from Bolton Tourism Forum, of which seven were shortlisted.
Other shortlisted nominations were:
- Egerton House Hotel for Small Hotel of the Year
- Middlebrook Retail Park for Tourism Retailer of the Year
- Horwich Carnival Races for Tourism Experience of the Year
- Achari Restaurant for Tourism Restaurant of the Year
- M61 Meetings Group for Business Tourism Award
- De Vere Whites and Holiday Inn Bolton Centre for Large Hotel of the Year.
Bolton Council’s Deputy Leader Councillor Linda Thomas said: “Winning this prestigious award shows what fantastic museums we have in Bolton and the way in which they bring to life a heritage that we should be proud of.”
“It’s a credit to the hard work by staff and volunteers at this important architectural and historical gem and we hope that news of this award will encourage even more people to visit,” she added.
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