by Ed Davies
A holiday park pub in Silverdale, South Cumbria, has beaten hundreds of other contenders to take the gold award at North West in Bloom
The Royal, owned by Silverdale Holiday Park, was given gold in the small accommodation category at the award finals at the end of October.
Judges in the keenly contested competition decided The Royal had trumped all-comers, with the pub’s floral displays accounting for half the marks awarded.
“Everyone at The Royal is absolutely delighted that we have managed to bring one of the North West in Bloom’s top accolades back to Silverdale,” said park owner Michael Holgate.
“We have received many comments on how visually stunning the exterior looks and credit for that goes to Kim and everyone else who works so hard to keep up our appearance.
“But what is especially pleasing is that we were also judged across a raft of different criteria from the quality of the welcome given by staff to our sustainability policies.
“We have always intended The Royal to be a source of pride for the village as a whole, and it is great to have our efforts supported by the judges in this competition.”
The pub also came top in the other 50% of marks measuring the quality of what is provided to guests, the standards of hospitality, and responsible environmental practices.
The Royal’s success was announced in front of hundreds of guests at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday October 28 at the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.
Stepping up to receive the gold prize was Kim Hodson-Walker, who is a warden at the Holgate group’s Netherbeck Park, and who helped create The Royal’s gardening triumph.
The displays include, in keeping with the pub’s name, stunning red, white and blue plantings of fragrant flowers in troughs made by Holgates crafts-people from recycled timber.
After standing empty since 2010, The Royal re-opened in spring this year following a £300,000 refurbishment project by local family-run holiday parks business Holgates.
