Lancashire business claims bronze in national awards

Eight at Gazegill, who progressed to the national Visit England Awards for Excellence 2025, have brought the Bronze award back to the county.

Ian O'Reilly and Emma Robbinson, owners of Gazegill Organics – the business behind Eight at Gazegill, were awarded the New Tourism Business of the Year accolade at the Annual Visit England Awards for Excellence which took place last night, Wednesday 4th June, at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.

Eight at Gazegill had booked their place at the event after being winner of Marketing Lancashire’s Lancashire Tourism Awards 2024.

Vikki Harris, marketing and partnerships director of Marketing Lancashire said: “We are proud of all our Lancashire tourism businesses, especially Eight at Gazegill for their achievement at the national awards.

"Their win at the highest industry level reminds everyone of the quality and variety of product available in the county, as well as the reasons why we continue to see such growth in visitors to Lancashire

"The business was just one of 27 to triumph on a county level at the Lancashire Tourism Awards in February and have now shown they are very worthy national winners too. Congratulations to Ian, Emma, Doug and the team.”

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence champion the very best of England’s tourism industry celebrating quality, innovation, best practice and exceptional customer service.

The 51 finalists, announced following a rigorous judging process by handpicked tourism industry experts, went on to compete in 17 core categories at the national awards

Doug Crampton, chef patron of Eight at Gazegill, said: “This award is a fantastic recognition of everything we’ve poured into the food at Eight at Gazegill. Every dish we serve is a reflection of the land around us—from the organic farm to the foraged ingredients just beyond the kitchen door. It’s about more than flavour; it’s about telling a story through food, and I’m so proud of what we’ve created so far.”

 Ian O’Reilly, managing director of Eight at Gazegill, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have received the Bronze Award in the New Tourism category at the VisitEngland Awards. To be recognised on a national stage as we go into only our second year of business shows we've got something really special. It’s a huge achievement for such a young business, and a real testament to the energy, passion and commitment of the whole team who’ve helped bring our vision to life.”

 VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes said: “These annual Awards are an opportunity to applaud and showcase the businesses and individuals who provide outstanding customer service and continuously improve their products and offer for visitors.

“From a captivating science museum in Merseyside to a fully accessible hotel in Bournemouth, from cow cuddling on a farm in Yorkshire to fine dining in Lancashire, this year’s winners show just how varied and diverse our industry is and what makes it great.

“Competition this year was fierce, reflecting the excellence evident across each category and I congratulate all the 2025 winners, and especially those who won Gold, an achievement cementing their place as the standard bearers of our world-class tourism industry.”