FIVE West Somerset organisations beat off stiff competition to win gold, silver and bronze medals at the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards Ceremony, held in Bath last week.

Nearly 300 guests from the best tourism businesses across the region attended the black tie dinner and awards ceremony, for which entries increased by almost a third this year.

West Somerset winners included:

* Gold awards for Middle Stone Farm Glamping at Brompton Ralph (pictured) and Waterrow Touring Park

* Silver for Swain House Boutique B&B in Watchet, the Beach Hotel in Minehead – which also won a bronze and highly commended in two other categories, and the Babbling Brook Inn, Shurton near Stogursey.

* Bronze award for Wimbleball Lake.

Middle Stone Farm Glamping, which won the ‘glamping and alternative accommodation of the year’ category, is owned and run by Patrick and Catherine Heard, who moved to the farm in 2015 and opened their first three safari lodges in 2016, and a further three this year.

Waterrow Touring Park won gold in the ‘touring camping and caravanning park of the year’ category – for the third consecutive year.

The five star, multi-award winning touring park is owned and managed by Jamie and Lynette Cook, who are next month celebrating five years in the business.