Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.
Exciting news! Hoe Grange Holidays has been selected as finalists in the national iNews Staycation Awards in the Sustainable Tourism category. This took us by complete surprise! We didn't know about the awards until one of our holiday guests nominated us. We then received an e-mail requesting us to submit more information for the judging panel.
The UK’s first i Staycation Awards have been launched to recognise the growing demand for top-class staycation holidays in the UK and the country’s best loved holiday spots. The i asked people to nominate their favourite staycations, maybe a city weekend getaway, a family-friendly week at the seaside or an action-packed holiday in the countryside.
Alongside the must-visit locations, the i News were keen to uncover hidden accommodation gems, the top tourist attractions and tours, and the businesses that are taking a proactive approach to ensure accessibility for all and long-term sustainability.
The judges commented on the extremely high-quality of nominations. Following 2 weeks deliberation and review the judging panel of 9 tourism experts announced the finalists in the 17 categories. We were delighted and thrilled to be selected from thousands of nominations. The Sustainable Tourism Award recognises the locations, attractions and accommodation providers that keep sustainability practices at the core of everything they do, thus ensuring that the UK's favourite staycations are preserved for generations to come.
It is amazing to think that what we do here at Hoe Grange in the Peak District is so widely recognised as a shining example of sustainable good practice. From generating over 85% of our electricity needs from our wind turbine and solar panels, to electric car charging, our new ebikes, off-road wheelchairs, grocery deliveries of Peak District produce, sourcing local artisan produce for our little onsite shop, and reducing use of plastics.
We also work with other local businesses to offer guests memorable experiences. By supporting local charities such as Friends of the Peak District, Peak District National Park Foundation and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust we help care and preserve our stunning Peak District landscape. Sustainability has been at the heart of our business from the beginning and we love sharing our special environment with everyone. There are just so many reasons why guests return time after time. Hoe Grange has also been awarded Green Tourism Gold Award and Peak District Environmental Quality Mark for our sustainable efforts.
To find out if we have won, we will have to leave our Peak District countryside behind and venture to the big city to attend the The i Staycation Awards on Thursday 21st November. There will be a lavish ceremony at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London, where The One Show and Countryfile presenter, Matt Baker will announce the winners. How exciting is that, we can't wait?!
Also keep an eye out for us in the i as all the finalists will be featured in the i News over the next few weeks.
We are not alone. Luckily The Peak District has also been selected as a finalist in the Rural Staycation of the Year category, and our friends at Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool are finalists in the Accessible for All category. Whether we win or not it will be an amazing evening.
Wish us luck and follow #StaycationAwards!
Felicity
Whilst we didn’t win we were delighted to be nominated by guests who stayed with us, and even more thrilled to be one of just 65 finalists from over 1,000 entries - a real achievement!
I also got the opportunity to meet the lovely Matt Baker of BBC Countryfile and One Show fame, who presented the awards. He was charming and as he is from a farming background he was very interested to hear our story.