This award is designed to recognise and reward sports and leisure attractions who have gone 'that extra mile' to accommodate, attract, and welcome coaches, their drivers and their passengers.

It was a close contest this year between attractions which had done a great deal of hard work in this area.

Winners: The Rheged Centre, Cumbria

Situated just off the M6 motorway at Penrith, the Rheged Centre is named for the Kings who ruled much of northern England in Celtic times, between the fifth and eighth centures. Rhe most famous of these was Old King Cole, the "merry old soul" of the nursery rhyme.

The Centre offers nine artisan shops, three cafes serving deliciously fresh food, and a fantastic 3D cinema screen showing a diverse range of films.

Coach operators and our judges praised Rheged’s cleverly devised group offers. They liked the web site and good downloadable leaflet, and praised the combined visits with other local attractions, and the excellent group catering offers.

Runners Up: West Midland Safari and Leisure Park

This attraction is set in 200 acres of beautiful Worcestershire countryside. It is one of the leading attractions in the West Midlands and is the only safari park in the UK to host all of the African 'Big Five'. There is a four mile self-drive safari featuring an impressive variety of wild and exotic animals, which is open and suitable for coaches of all sizes. In addition, there are live shows and with over 30 theme park rides.

The judges liked the park's well-thought through group and coach arrangements, and praised the welcome accorded to coach operators and drivers.  They were particularly impressed by the site's links with coach operators who have scheduled tours and excursions to the park from various areas of the country.

Highly Commended

The following venues were also nominated by coach operators, and were highly commended by the judges.

Alton Towers, Staffordshire

The group facilities for this market-leading Staffordshire theme park were praised by the judges, as were the free coach parking facilities.

Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire

The judges praised the excellent information provided by Ascot, and were very impressed by the encouragement given for group visits to the racecourse.

They particularly liked the extensive free coach parking facilities.

Drayton Manor, Staffordshire

The offers for groups and coach visits were regarded as excellent by operators and the judges. The park offers free coach parking and admission/meal voucher for drivers. 

Who could be nominated?

Static attractions, including theme parks, amusement parks, sports and leisure facilities.

… and by whom

Readers of Coach and Bus Week magazine who are coach operators will be asked to nominate attractions whose service they have admired during the last 12 months. They will be asked to explain why they think the nominated attraction deserves this award.