Harry Styles tour, music festival and ice cream farm among Cheshire tourism award winners

A Harry Styles’ inspired tour, a “perfect 10” hotel and a fun-filled ice cream farm were among visitor economy gems scooping Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards 2025 last night.

Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson hosted the glittering event before a 300-strong audience at Chester Cathedral.

The Cheshire-born and raised actor said he was “truly privileged to crown the stars of Cheshire’s visitor economy” worth £3.9bn amid more than 56m annual recorded visitor days to the region.

The awards from the region’s tourism body Marketing Cheshire champion everything from family attractions, wedding venues and holiday parks to accommodation providers, pubs and restaurants. Qualifying winners are automatically entered into the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence to compete against the best in the country.

Categories this year included a new Best Event or Festival Award which went to Deva Fest, now in its fifth year and expecting a record-breaking crowd in the stunning grounds of Cholmondeley Castle in August

Judges said the music festival, was “a fantastic event and the team are clearly passionate about creating a nationally/internationally recognised music festival” whose line-up for 2025 includes singing legend Gloria Gayner.

Others tasting success on the night included The Ice Cream Farm in Tattenhall. The UK's only ice cream-themed family attraction was named Visitor Attraction of The Year with judges remarking it was not only home to “lots of activities” but the “ice cream was delicious and there was a huge selection of flavours to choose from”.

Also hitting a high note was the Harry Styles-inspired Harry's Home Village Tour.

The guided tour through Holmes Chapel allows people to learn about the history of the village where the former One Direction member and global pop star grew up. It took the New Tourism Business Award with judges describing it as “a truly unique experience, with a real focus on supporting the local community and building awareness for the area”.

The attraction was also Highly Commended in the Best Tourism Marketing Project of the Year category. Taking victory in this category was BeWILDerwood. The adventure park, home to muddled mazes in 70 acres of enchanted woodland next to the historic Cholmondeley Castle, won the award for its discounted ticket promotion Twiggle Tots.

Judges noted: “More sympathetic pricing for an adult with a tot and targeted marketing led to an upturn of weekday attendance.”

The Pheasant Inn, Tattenhall has another feather in its cap after winning the Taste of Cheshire Award. Judges “praised its varied menu which includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, remarking that the food was “tasty and cooked to perfection”. They added it “had a cosy, friendly ambience and was well-maintained and spotlessly clean.”

Other hospitality heroes included Large Hotel of the Year winner Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa in Nantwich with one judge saying it was a “perfect 10” venue, adding: “The whole experience was fantastic, including the venue, the team, the food and the quality throughout the visit.”

The green credentials of National Trust site Lyme helped it win the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award with judges calling it “a business that clearly cares about what it is doing and the reasons for acting and operating in a sustainable way”..

The1,400-acre estate offers stunning views, fantastic walks and a glorious house, surrounded by gardens, moorland, deer park and reflecting lake where a certain Mr Darcy met Miss Bennet in the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice.

While best known for playing Darren Osborne in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, Ashley Taylor Dawson is no stranger to hospitality as a former business partner for Wilmslow venues The Grove Bar Tavern and Wrap Studio, alongside owning and running cocktail bar Symposium for 10 years.

He said: “I feel truly privileged to have crowned the stars of Cheshire’s visitor economy. It is clear from the passion in the room and the judges’ comments that this region is home to a world class tourism sector, and it is great that these awards shine a light on the stars behind it.”

And Trevor Brocklebank, Chair of Marketing Cheshire said: “Every year the standard of entries is incredible. Cheshire is blessed with businesses and individuals who work tirelessly to ensure the region’s tourism offering continues to be globally renowned, generating billions for our economy and attracting millions of visitors every year across Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Warrington.

“As always the Marketing Cheshire Awards allow us to showcase and celebrate the best we have to offer.”

The full list of winners and highly commended entries can be found below.

Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award

Storyhouse, Chester

Best Event or Festival          

Deva Fest, Cholmondeley Castle

Best Tourism Marketing Project of the Year

Winner: Twiggle Tots, BeWILDerwood Cheshire

Highly Commended: Harry's Home Village Tour, Holmes Chapel

Business Events Venue of the Year

Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement

Highly Commended: Carden Park
Highly Commended: Champneys Mottram Hall Hotel

Camping, Glamping, Holiday Park of the Year

Winner: Lady Heyes Holiday Park, Frodsham

Highly Commended: Manor Wood, Chester

Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award

Lyme, National Trust

Experience of the Year

Wake & Shake, The Farm Club Group, Mere View Estate

Large Hotel of the Year

Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa, Nantwich

New Tourism Business Award

Harry's Home Village Tour, Holmes Chapel

Pub of the Year

The Fishpool Inn, Delamere

Self- Catering Accommodation of the Year

Black Prince Holidays, Northwich

Small Serviced Accommodation of the Year

The Hive at 52, Weaverham

Taste of Cheshire Award  

The Pheasant Inn, Tattenhall

Team of the Year      

North West Destination & Attraction Team, Canal & River Trust

Highly Commended: Event Sales Office, Champneys Mottram Hall Hotel
Highly Commended: Project Team – Snow Leopards, Chester Zoo

Unsung Hero Award

Winner: Jayne Over, The Chester Grosvenor

Highly Commended: Toby Garrick, Pitch & Canvas, Chester

Visitor Attraction of the Year

Winner: The Ice Cream Farm, Tattenhall

Wedding Venue of the Year

Winner: Crewe Hall Hotel & Spa

Highly Commended: Carden Park Hotel & Spa, near Chester

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