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On the 23rd November 2023, at the prestigious Go North Wales Tourism Awards, Llangollen Railway won Attraction of the Year for 2023.

The glittering annual event organised by North Wales Tourism celebrates the dedication, skill and achievements of the region’s tourism and hospitality industry.

Tom Taylor, General Manager, said: “We had to work with the rest of the tourism industry just to survive, but this year we have fulfilled our long-held ambition of taking the railway back to Corwen, which is already making a big difference to the town. The amazing team of volunteers and staff at our railway have been key to getting us back from the brink of collapse to where we are now. This award is for them. We’re totally focussed on moving forward now; supporting our partner organisations in the Dee Valley as we head towards it becoming a National Park. As part of this vision, the Llangollen & Corwen Railway needs to continue to stabilise, recover and develop a really polished offering – for both the local community and our visitors to enjoy and benefit from for many years to come.

Llangollen Railway Chair Phil Coles added: “It’s been a lot of very hard work over two and a half years, with an awful lot of input from visitors, volunteers and staff. So many of our team have gone over and above in their dedication to our railway and this award is the icing on the cake for us after a highly successful 2023 season.”

At the same ceremony, the Go Marketing and Media Recognition Award 2023 sponsored by  Heart North and Mid Wales was won by Bearded Men Adventures of Llangollen.

Go B&B/Inn and Guest House of the Year 2023 sponsored by  Aber Falls Distillery was won by Riversdale House, Llangollen.

Jim Jones, the Chief Executive of North Wales Tourism, said: “We are grateful to Harlech Foodservice and all our other sponsors for stepping up to the plate to support the Go North Wales Tourism Awards.

“Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate the best of best in the tourism and hospitality sector.

“The sheer volume and quality of entries this year has underlined why North Wales is a truly world class destination.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners but I would also like to stress that all the nominees are playing a vital role in championing what we have to offer visitors from home and abroad. They do an exceptional job in putting North Wales on the map.

“The priority now is to try to get back up to where we were in 2019 and to increase the spend of the visitors who come here by raising the quality of what we are doing.”

David Cattrall, the Managing Director of Harlech Foodservice, said: “We are delighted to once again be the headline sponsor of this wonderful awards ceremony and it’s very much a vote of confidence in the tourism and hospitality sector which has endured such a difficult time in recent years.

“This is our opportunity to give something back and celebrate the achievements of our core customers.

“That’s also why we have launched our new Trust Our Prices campaign with over 300 popular lines having their prices cut and frozen until January 1.

“The fundamental reasons why North Wales is such an attractive place to visit are still there and will continue to be in demand in future.

“We have amazing scenery and world class facilities so I am sure the sector will go from strength to strength.

“That means that the tourism and hospitality sector can play a big role in leading the economic recovery in North Wales.”

This award is a credit to the hard work and dedication of our Board, staff and every one of our volunteers who have worked so hard over the last few years.