Hoburne Bashley, Balmer Lawn Hotel and Treehouses at Shorefield Country Park win gold at 2021/22 Beautiful South Awards

THREE New Forest firms walked away with golden gongs at a glittering awards do celebrating the best in the south.

They were among four local businesses honoured at this year’s Beautiful South Awards, recognising the cream of the region’s tourism industry.

Gold awards went to Hoburne Bashley in the Holiday Park of the Year category, Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst in Resilience & Innovation, and Treehouses at Shorefield Country Park in Self Catering Accommodation.

Shorefield Holidays in Milford was highly commended in the Resilience & Innovation category.

Hobourne general manager Dave Absalom said the award was a “huge achievement”, adding it “acknowledges our amazing team who have worked tirelessly over the last two years”.

He added: “We have faced many challenges because of the pandemic, and this award recognises the loyalty and commitment of our teams who dedicated themselves to deliver our guests an outstanding customer service.

“They deserve the credit, and I am incredibly proud.”

Balmer Lawn’s win is the hotel’s fourth accolade of the year, after success in the Southampton Hospitality Awards, Guide for Brides Customer Service Awards, and Springboard Awards for Excellence.

Its general manager, Michael Clitheroe, said: “The Beautiful South Tourism Awards celebrate the best of the best and we are incredibly proud to take home the gold and be recognised as a leading innovator in tourism following the pandemic.

“With tourism in the UK being hit hard over the past two years, we knew we had to come up with new and innovative ways for the business to survive and further offer support to our local New Forest community.

“It really has been an incredible start to the year for everyone connected with Balmer Lawn.”

Fran Downton, chief executive of Tourism South East, congratulated the finalists: “Achieving excellence is not easy, particularly in these past years.

“The strength of our winners is testament to the incredible standards and unwavering quality of these exceptional businesses, despite the challenges.”