On Thursday 30th November 2023, Mendip Activity Centre won four awards at the 2023 Bristol, Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards. Hundreds of top tourism and attraction businesses across the west country attended a formal dinner and award ceremony in Bristol.
The awards were hosted by ITV News West Country's Ben McGrail. Ben said “It was a real honour to be part of such a celebration of the amazing tourism industry in Bristol, Bath and Somerset. We have so much to offer across the region and the night really showed off just how hard people work to make that possible. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!”
Mendip Basecamp, Campsite of the Year: WINNER OF GOLD AWARD
Mendip's first award for the night was Gold in the Camping and Caravanning Park of the Year, having received Silver in last year's awards.
"Basecamp is an extremely special place to work and to visit," said Ayesha Cantrell, Campsite Manager at Mendip Basecamp. "We pride ourselves on our beautiful location in the Mendip Hills and our friendly approach. We wouldn't be anywhere without the support of our wonderful guests so thank you!"
Learn to Ski at Mendip Activity Centre, Experience of the Year: WINNER OF GOLD AWARD
The next shock of the night came when Mendip Activity Centre won the Gold Experience of the Year for their Learn to Ski experience.
Record numbers of skiers learnt to ski on the only ski and snowboard slope in Somerset throughout the 2022 to 2023 skiing season. Mendip's unique approach to Outdoor Instructor Training ensures that their ski instructors are among the best and most dedicated in the industry. On the back of this award, Mendip Activity Centre are looking forward to a busy 2023-2024 season.
Twilight Tobogganing at Mendip Activity Centre, Event of the Year: WINNER OF SILVER AWARD
Twilight Tobogganing, Mendip Activity Centre's festive family tobogganing event, won Silver in the Tourism Event of the Year.
Twilight Tobogganing, which started in 2016, has grown from strength to strength over the years. It was recently named as a top 10 national Christmas family activity in the Guardian newspaper.
Mendip Activity Centre, Large Visitor Attraction of the Year: WINNER OF SILVER AWARD
The Large Visitor Attraction Award was a hard-fought award between top organisations including Wells Cathedral and the SS Great Britain. Slimbridge Wetland Centre won the Gold award whilst Mendip came second with Silver.
"This is a top accolade to receive," said Richard Eddins, Co-Owner at Mendip Activity Centre. "I'd like to thank our amazing staff team whose hard work has resulted in these awards. We are all thrilled to be recognised alongside other nationally renowned businesses in the region."