Hoe Grange Holidays, a beacon of accessibility nestled in the Derbyshire Peak District, has been honoured with the prestigious gold award for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism at the 2024 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. The award demonstrates their commitment to excellence and their status as leaders in the field of inclusive holiday experiences.
Hoe Grange Holidays offers gorgeous accessible self-catering accommodation on a working farm. Owners Felicity, David and Caroline Brown are passionate about sharing their farm and beautiful, peaceful surroundings with everyone.
Leading the field
The Browns are no strangers to national awards but are especially delighted to receive this accolade. David said, “Winning a VisitEngland Award for Excellence at a national level for the sixth time shows how we continue to push ourselves and improve our offer for our guests with disabilities and additional needs.”
Innovations in accessible tourism
The business has recently become the first UK holiday accommodation provider to be accredited as Dementia Inclusive by The Sargent Group and has been awarded an Autism Friendly Award by the National Autistic Society.
The small family team are on hand to help guests have the very best holiday by listening to their needs – whether that’s recommending the right mobility equipment from their extensive range, sharing insider knowledge on accessible local pubs, restaurants and attractions, or even making changes to their site (once fitting a new door handle that was easier to use within an hour).
“It’s a perfect holiday”
Repeat guest Henrietta shares, “My family and I have never holidayed in the same place more than once – but we’ve been coming to Hoe Grange, every year, at least once for 10 years! It’s a perfect holiday for me as a powered wheelchair user and an owner of an assistance dog. Hoe Grange was the second place I came to as a wheelchair user and one of the underrated things about it is it doesn’t “feel disabled”. We’ve had the most wonderful holidays here and are looking forward to many more”.
Passionate about sharing the Peak District
Felicity shared why the award is important for the team. “We are passionate about helping everyone to explore our glorious Peak District, and we hope that this award will encourage more guests with disabilities to consider visiting.”
Caroline added, “As a small family business, we’re particularly proud of the award as the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category is so broad – we were up against some bigger competitors in very different parts of the tourism industry.” Colchester Castle in Essex won bronze and ROARR! Norfolk took the silver award.
Helping to put Derbyshire on the map
Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire says, “These prestigious national awards celebrate the very best of English tourism, and so we’re delighted that Hoe Grange Holidays have received the recognition they deserve. The team puts high quality customer service at the heart of everything they do, giving guests memorable experiences where everyone feels welcome, and their commitment to accessibility and inclusivity is inspirational. Not only do businesses like Hoe Grange help to raise the bar of our excellent tourism offer, they also help to put Derbyshire on the map as a leading accessible destination. Huge congratulations to the team!”
To find out more about Hoe Grange Holidays, visit www.hoegrangeholidays.co.uk.