isleofwight.com members celebrate at Red Funnel Awards!

isleofwight.com members celebrate at Red Funnel Awards!

Red Funnel Awards judges were spoiled for choice this year! We joined the celebrations on Thursday 10th November and have been catching up with some of our isleofwight.com members who won awards since.

 

 

 

The Orchards Holiday Park cleaned up! They took home Gold for Best Campsite, Silver for Best Holiday Park and Silver for Best Self Catering. Based near Yarmouth, surrounded by countryside and stunning views of the Solent, their site boasts fantastic onsite facilities such as an indoor pool, outdoor pool and coffee shop. With several ways to stay, touring/camping, holiday caravans and a self catering cottage, it’s no wonder they are award winning!

Cheverton Copse took home Bronze for Best Holiday Park; Cheverton Copse say they “aim to provide an unspoilt countryside atmosphere”, and they do exactly that! The site is family friendly, (they have a games room and club house onsite), and provides an ideal destination for an Isle of Wight holiday.

After a year of heavy investment and refurbs, Garden Isle Hotels took home Gold for Best Hotel Experience at Luccombe Hall. This year they have added more balcony rooms, garden rooms with hot tubs and a newly refurbished swimming pool to their hotels, and are now beginning refurbishments on their self-catering property, Shanklin Villa Apartments.

The Royal won Silver for Best Hotel Experience. Year after year we see The Royal being recognised for their commitment to excellence. It came as no surprise to see them celebrated at the Red Funnel Awards for their consistently high levels of service and dedication to providing luxury experiences.

Our friends at Tapnell Farm were big winners for the night too – taking home awards for multiple categories! Gold for Best Self Catering, Silver for Best Burger at The Cow, and Silver for Best Green Business. They have a winning combination; great food, fantastic family days out and eco friendly accommodation.

The Attractions category was filled with isleofwight.com members! Snacks & Ladders Board Game Cafe, The Wildheart Sanctuary, Monkey Haven and The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary all won awards.

Snacks & Ladders Board Game Cafe won Bronze for Best Small Attraction and Silver for Best Place for Dogs. We recently took a trip to their new premises in Newport and highly recommend a visit. The walls are lined with games to choose from and the cocktail menu was definitely enjoyed! Fantastic mac n’ cheese too. Dog friendly and of course family friendly, a great place to visit with kids and fur babies!

The Wildheart Sanctuary were happy to be awarded Silver for Best Large Attraction; Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer, spoke to us about the arrival of two more tigers to the sanctuary in 2023; the tigers have an incredible and sad backstory, but will soon be in their forever home where they will be provided the best care possible. The Sanctuary has come a long way since being known as the Isle of Wight Zoo; the team prioritise animal care and wellbeing above all else, and it really shows.

Monkey Haven were elated to have won Gold for Best Small Attraction and Gold for Best Green Business! This was a hugely appreciated achievement for the team, who couldn’t contain their excitement. Monkey Haven have recently welcomed the sweetest little Marmoset, who was unfortunately a victim of illegal pet trade. Luckily they have made room for him and are currently thinking up a name for the little guy. We think after a double Gold win, Goldie would suit him nicely, what do you think?

And lastly, some of our favourite fur-iends at The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary, were hugely celebrated with a trio of awards; Gold for Best Place for Dogs, Gold for Best Large Attraction and Silver for Best Cafe or Tearoom at Grazers Cafe. Lucy Smith, Online Fundraising and Social Media Manager for the sanctuary said, “We love the community that we have built and the genuine love that our supporters have for our donkeys and our sanctuary. We couldn’t have gotten these awards without them all.” The sanctuary provides such a wonderful home for the donkeys and a yummy menu at Grazers Cafe. As huge fans of the sanctuary, we hope to see many more awards coming their way in future.

The whole evening was hosted and put together brilliantly by Red Funnel. A Jamaican inspired menu went down a treat with elaborate and stunning decorations at their beautiful venue, Northwood House. Red Funnel have 115 years of experience, but still maintain the same commitment to providing an excellent cross solent travel experience. Onboard they offer delicious food and drink, (sourced locally wherever possible), and plenty of holiday recommendations for local attractions, accommodation and dining venues. During the evening, Fran Collins, Chief Executive Officer, took to the stage to thank island businesses for their hard work and for providing attractions which bring over 2 million visitors to our island each year.

The evening was not only an opportunity to give thanks and recognition to Isle of Wight businesses, but also raise awareness for a worthy charity; Young Lives Vs Cancer.

Young Lives Vs Cancer give incredible support and help for young people and their families to find the strength to face cancer. They shape the way they work around six core principles; Day to Day Support, Financial Support, Homes from Home, providing Education for Teens and Young Adults, Bereavement Support and Campaigning. We learned about a just handful of individuals being supported by the charity, but their work helps thousands. During the awards evening, over £1,000 was raised to support the charity.

We’d like to thank Red Funnel for inviting us, and for providing a wonderful evening for all those in attendance. A full list of winners can be viewed here.