We Won Gold!
On the 7th June, Ed and I were invited to the national finals of the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2023, with Watatunga Wildlife Reserve shortlisted in the category of Best Small Visitor Attraction in the country. It was a thrillling night, but shortly after receiving the award, disaster struck meaning that our trophy only made it safely back to Watatunga a month after the ceremony. Read on to find out how a victory jig ended in disaster and why I’m not allowed so much as a look at the trophy now that it’s safely here.
The awards were held at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London where all finalists were entertained by the incredible world of Harry Potter while we waited for the ceremony alongside the Hogwart’s Express. Ever fancied a black-tie broomstick ride? We couldn’t resist and it certainly helped keep the nerves at bay to have a giggle posing as dangerous wizards inbetween sampling a butter beer!
Ed had to be dragged away from the fascinating exhibits of the animals used in Harry Potter films, but dinner next to the Hogwart’s Express was not to be missed. There was incredible representation for the east of England with finalists in five categories and we were delighted to meet Pete Waters MBE, Visit East of England Executive Director who has done so much to get well deserved attention to tourism in our region. We were lucky enough to sit next to Max and Chrissie, the lovely owners of Piglets Boutique B&B in Essex which won gold for the best B&B in England. Thorington Theatre and the Unruly Pig restaurant were also in the finals of their categories – spoiler alert, they all had incredible wins!
The awards were announced thick and fast and before we knew it the three finalists in our category were anxiously greeting each other to the side of the stage. When the bronze winner was called and it wasn’t us, my heart skipped a beat. Then silver was announced and it still wasn’t us. We were absolutely stunned!
All was going so well – we veritably bounded onto the stage to claim our prize and luckily there was a photo to prove it was all real. Because then came the awful moment. On the long concrete corridor between the stage and the area where winners were photographed, there was time for reflection. Out of the gaze of the lights and audience, I couldn’t resist a jig of delight. Witnesses will testify that I did NOT drop the trophy, I just did a little wiggle and spun round to Ed saying “Can you believe it?” and the next thing we knew, the trophy took flight off its base and smashed to smitherines on the concrete floor. There were gasps, apologies, mortified glances and then laughter. We had destroyed the trophy before we’d even had an official photo! Luckily the lovely team on hand were very kind about it but who does that? I was deeply embarrassed!
Eagle eyed observers will see that in the official photos, Ed and I are clutching the trophy very tightly – and covering the title! This is because it was kindly lent to us by the winner of Pub of the Year who was understandably nervous about letting me so much as touch it given my track record! Thankfully, the organisers were kind enough to send a replacement which arrived onsite at Watatunga yesterday and is now sitting in pride of place in our reception building. We are so very proud to have won this recognition for the east of England and west Norfolk in particular – and for all it signifies about the hard work and dedication of our team. At the end of the day, we do what we do to raise awareness of the incredible endangered species we have on site. As Alex our tour guide puts it, we do ‘edutainment’ and what we sincerely hope is that everyone leaves enlightened and inspired to do more for the natural world. To have our approach recognised as the best in country only adds fuel to our fire and we are so grateful for the boost that Visit England have given us. Thanks to each and every one of you for your support in getting us here!
