A Cumbria-based cottage lettings agency has once again shown Britain how to do it after winning two awards at the Social Travel Britain Awards, held in Bristol at the end of April.

Sally’s Cottages won the best overall use of social media award for the second year running while energetic founder Sally Fielding’s videos of her cartwheeling in the snow helped her win the inaugural Social Media Personality of the Year award.

A video showing Star Wars stormtroopers surfing the Severn Bore helped Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism pick up one of the coveted awards for tourist boards and destination marketing organisations.

Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier, Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan and Blenheim Palace were among the other winners on the night.

A Palace for all Seasons from Blenheim Palace on Vimeo.

The Social Travel Britain Awards were announced during a ceremony in @Bristol, the city’s award-winning interactive science museum as part of the Social Travel Britain 2016 conference. Recognising the best digital innovations and social media campaigns in British tourism over the last 12 months, the awards specifically looked at the best use of social media and online video content in marketing campaigns to encourage greater enjoyment and engagement with the British Isles.

The full list of winners of the awards, held in partnership with Four Travel, is as follows:

ACCOMMODATION
Best use of video Travelodge Vines
Best use of outreach BritMums/Holiday Inn #You’re Welcome
Best overall use of social media Sally’s Cottages, Cumbria

ATTRACTIONS
Best standalone campaign Lost Gardens of Heligan, Locals Pass (joint winner)
Best standalone campaign ZSL London Zoo, #spiderselfie (joint winner)
Best use of video Blenheim Palace
Best overall use of social media Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare

DMOs/TOURIST BOARDS
Best standalone campaign iambassador/VisitBritain USA blog trip
Best use of video Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism, Surfing stormtroopers/Star Wars
Best overall use of social media Visit Cornwall

SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Sally Fielding, Sally’s Cottages

Awards and conference organiser, Mark Frary from Travel Perspective, comments:

“Once again, Britain’s tourism businesses have shown that they are brimming with creativity and have demonstrated how to use new forms of marketing to attract visitors and guests. We had a tough time picking winners from a strong field of contenders. Our winners thoroughly deserve their success.”

The award winners were chosen by Kash Bhattacharya, travel blogger at BudgetTraveller.org and author and creator of the Luxury Hostels in Europe guide, George Clode, editor of Travel GBI, as well as Travel Perspective co-founders and travel journalists Steve Keenan and Mark Frary.

The winners each receive an engraved pebble, plucked from a Devon stream.