HEREFORDSHIRE is now home to England's highest rated holiday park after Poston Mill emerged as the overall victor in the 2015 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

Poston Mill received the top gold honour in the parks category at the VisitEngland awards ceremony, beating nearly 2000 other eligible parks in England to the title.

Stepping up to receive the accolade from VisitEngland chief James Beresford at The Sage in Gateshead were co-owners Wayne and Sarah Jones.

Based in Peterchurch in the Golden Valley, Poston Mill is located in 35 acres of tranquil countryside within sight of the Black Mountains.

It provides caravan holiday homes to own as well as cottages and holiday caravans to hire, plus pitch facilities for tourers, motorhomes and tents.

Poston Mill has come a long way since first being taken over as a basic farm-based park more than 20 years ago.

Since then, Wayne and his wife Sarah have invested much time and energy into creating a high quality destination for discerning guests.

Their reward has been to see a huge increase in visitor numbers from the UK and overseas, and a raft of awards reflecting the park's concern for the environment.

Honours include the David Bellamy Conservation Award which has been presented to the park every year for more than a decade at its top gold level.

The award celebrates the park's efforts to protect the natural world, including the creation of wildlife conservation areas and the planting of native trees.

In addition to a network of paths in and around the park to explore, guests have use of the adjacent Mill restaurant and bar, and a shop.

But according to Mrs Jones, it is the quality of customer care and hospitality which guests most often mention in on-line reviews Poston Mill receives.

"We feel very privileged to live and work in such a glorious part of Herefordshire, and from the outset we wanted to make this a park where guests would feel genuinely welcome," she said.

"That's why the VisitEngland award for excellence means so much to us, because it is based not just on the quality of the park, but also the standards of service we provide.

"I hope that one effect of our award will be to help other tourism businesses in the area by highlighting what a beautiful region this is to enjoy a truly memorable holiday."