Penshurst Place and Gardens is shortlisted in the “Happy Family Award” category in the newly introduced Visit Kent Tourism Awards 2017.  Having been chosen from nearly 100 entries, the West Kent family favourite is now relying on the public to vote for it to win the title by registering their support before voting closes on 20^th October.

Penshurst Place Adventure Playground (c) Joe Dale Penshurst Place & Gardens

The Kent Tourism Awards scheme comprises seven categories and has been introduced by Visit Kent to recognise and reward exceptional standards of customer service and outstanding visitor experience within Kent’s tourism industry. This is the first year the scheme has run, and competition to win one of the prestigious new awards has been fierce with 97 companies entering and just 22 tourism businesses making it through to the final shortlist. The winner will be decided by public vote and announced on 24^th November.

Lucy McLeod, Head of Marketing & Events says “There are so many fantastic things to see and do in Kent so it’s wonderful to have to be shortlisted in the first Visit Kent tourism awards. Penshurst Place is at its core, a family home, and we work hard to ensure those families values are reflected in what we offer our visitors. We look forward to providing many more years of exciting experiences for families to enjoy and hope the public get behind the scheme and votes for us.”

(c) Penshurst Place & Gardens

Penshurst Place runs annual events committed to providing families with educational and entertaining trips and experiences. There are eleven walled ‘garden rooms’ that offer a fantastic backdrop for hide and seek and, and during special events, can be seen concealing secret clues to garden trails. Families who visit the estate can also enjoy the huge adventure playground, historic house, and woodland trail, as well as yearly events including crafts, insect experiences, falconry, historical re-enactments, storytelling and the summer maize maze.

Visit Kent CEO, Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE said: “The judges were really impressed with the number and standard of entries in our first year of running the awards. All of the finalists in the family friendly category demonstrated how they’re continually delivering exceptional experiences for the family market and showcasing Kent to families as part of the visitor experience and through their marketing. Do make sure to cast your votes for your chosen finalists, and make your choices count.”

To vote simply go to Visit Kent’s website www.visitkent.co.uk or  http://woobox.com/t49bw2 and choose your favourite from each category.  Anyone who votes will automatically be entered in to a free prize draw to win six sensational days out at a range of Kent attractions in 2018, worth approx. £300 (*terms and conditions apply). You’ll need to enter your email address and your full name to enter the competition. A winner will be selected at random on Monday 23rd October.