Competition launched to find the best in UK coaching for 2012

A call for coach operators and their customers to nominate people, companies and organisations who have excelled during the 2011 season has gone out from the organisers of the UK Coach Awards.

Winners of the UK Coach Award for Most Coach Friendly Tourist Attraction, the World Famous Blacksmiths Shop at Gretna Green, was warmly congratulated on its victory during the Visit Scotland Expo. This took place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen on 13 and 14 April 2011. Organised by VisitScotland, expo is Scotland’s only flagship business to business event for the travel trade that is entirely Scottish.

The Gretna Green stand was visited by Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, who offered his warmest congratulations on the attraction's success. He is pictured with Lynda Denton, Head of Sales & Marketing at the Blacksmith's Shop.

The transport and development charity Transaid has asked UKCA to pass on thanks to everybody who attended the ceremony on 7 April.

The table draw raised a total of £1,262.

Aggie Krasnolucka-Hickman, Transaid's Marketing and Events Executive, told us, "I just wanted to say huge thank you for all the support Transaid received before and during the UK Coach Awards 2011. We are very grateful for being chosen a beneficiary charity of such a great event! It enabled us not only to raise significant funds for our projects in Africa but also to spread the word about the charity."

You can find out more about Transaid from their web site, www.transaid.org.

Four loyal and hard-working people in different branches of the coach and coach tourism worlds were recognised and rewarded for their efforts on behalf of the industry at the 2011 UK Coach Awards presentation ceremony on 7 April.

Greeted on stage by Steve Whiteway and Carol Kirkwood was the recipient of the annual award for Services to the Coach Industry, which went to the chief executive of the Coach Tourism Council, Chris Wales.  He was a founder member of the Coach Tourism Council back in 1988 and is a past chairman; he has been its Chief Executive since 2004.

Over 60 individuals, companies and organisations across the UK coach and coach tourism industry were recognised and rewarded for their excellence and good practice at the Belmont International UK Coach Awards, which took place on Thursday 7 April 2011, at Manchester's famous Piccadilly Hotel.

Awards highlight innovation, hard work and great customer service

Over 60 individuals, companies and organisations across the UK coach and coach tourism industry were recognised and rewarded for their excellence and good practice at the Belmont International UK Coach Awards, which took place on Thursday 7 April 2011, at Manchester's famous Piccadilly Hotel.