THREE businesses from near Ross-on-Wye have won top honours at the inaugural Visit Herefordshire Tourism Awards.

Some 60 finalists were shortlisted by expert judges in 2024, with 13 different winners being awarded for their service to the tourism sector across 14 different categories.

The award of Experience of the Year went to the owners of the Oldfield Forge in Garway while the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year award went to Trevase Cottages at Tretire.

The Pub of the Year award was picked up by team from The New Inn, St Owen’s Cross which has already achieved a number of accolades over the past 12 months.

All the award winners from the event will automatically be shortlisted for the national Visit England Awards for Excellence later in the year.

Jules Hudson, who lives in Herefordshire and is the leading face of the BBC’s rural property flagship Escape to the Country hosted the proceedings and said: “The dedication of tourism providers across the county was evident in every category, and the quality being delivered is exceptionally high. Visitors taking a short break, weekend away or holiday in Herefordshire are in safe hands.”

The Judge’s said that Oldfield Forge provides a wonderfully immersive, educational, and sleek experience, bringing a traditional skill into the modern day and added: “The staff are a fantastic representation of the business, clearly living and breathing what they do."

The judges observed that The New Inn serves excellent, locally sourced food in a relaxing, comfortable 16th Century building; coupled with superb, welcoming service and added: This makes it a pub that you will want to visit and revisit again and again.’

The judges discovered that the operation at Trevase Cottages is a well-oiled machine, with an exemplary website, excellent environmental and sustainability credentials and added: “They have also thought about the needs of all guests, including those with accessibility challenges. There is nothing that the team at Trevase will not consider doing for their customers, creating the perfect country break for all.”

Tom Leak, head chef at the New Inn said: “It’s been an awards whirlwind over the last few months. As an entire team, we are all very proud and delighted to be judged Herefordshire’s Pub of the Year.

“To know that we will now be automatically entered into the national awards competition, along with the other category winners, is a real privilege.

Yes we won the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year Award at the Herefordshire Tourism Awards.

Sarah Pursey from Trevase Cottages, said: “We are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards and providing our guests with truly memorable experiences. We strive to make every stay special.

“This award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire team, and we couldn’t be prouder to have our commitment to excellence recognised.”

Nicky Heath from the Oldfield Forge said: “We didn’t have an inkling that we would win as we felt we were up against a lot of stiff competition.

However, winning the award has made us all feel proud of our achievements.”