Staff at Lake District Estates are over the moon after it became the only business to be shortlisted in three categories for the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2023 – widely regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the county’s tourism industry.
The homegrown family firm is the company behind the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and Ullswater Steamers, alongside several caravan parks, marina holiday apartments and shops operating as ‘Peter Rabbit and Friends®’.
As well as making the shortlist in the categories for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year(Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway) and Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year(Waterbird Boathouse at Hill of Oaks, Windermere), star employee Ben McGregor has been nominated individually for The Sheila Hensman Unsung Hero Award.
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway – affectionately known as La’al Ratty – is renowned asone of the oldest and longest surviving narrow gauge railways in the world. Meanwhile, the quirky ‘Waterbird’ is a recently-built luxury hideaway at the Hill of Oaks lodge and caravan park on the shore of Windermere.
Digital Marketing Coordinator Ben McGregor joined Lake District Estates 2 years ago, but has already made a big impact. Not only does the 21 year old show a maturity well beyond his years as a true ambassador for Cumbria, but he has helped the company innovate and embrace new technologies – even recently learning how to fly drones.
Alongside this, Ben is passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing for young people and his colleagues. He volunteered as a youth activist with the Young Minds charity and ran the 2023 London Marathon to raise funds. At Lake District Estates, Ben works on the Being Well Together Programme with the British Safety Council and Mates in Mind charity.
David Little, Chief Executive of Lake District Estates, says, “We strive to deliver the very best experiences for our customers, so to receive these prestigious award nominations against a highly competitive field of world-class businesses is a real coup! It’s an amazing tribute to the hard work and dedication of the team right across the Lake District Estates family of businesses.
“I’d particularly like to highlight how proud we are of Ben McGregor, who epitomises not only a commitment and passion for showcasing the Lake District to the world, but also a positive ‘can do’ attitude to support others both in and outside the workplace.
“We’re look forward to hearing all the final results later this summer.”
Lake District Estates will find out whether they are the ultimate winners in each category at the Cumbria Tourism Awards ceremony this July.
PHOTO: River Esk, Ravenglass & Eskdale RailwayPhoto credit Mark Fielding
