SOUTHPORT BID Chair Dan Taylor said he is “immensely proud” of the impressive performance of Southport businesses at the 2023 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards. 

A total of 9 local firms were named as finalists in the prestigious annual ceremony, which took place at Liverpool Cathedral.

There were 3 winners too as delighted attendees showed off the very best of what Southport has to offer.

Southport Bijou Cinema on Post Office Avenue won the Hidden Gem Award, in the only category voted for by the public.

It was a category that Southport dominated, with 4 of the 10 Hidden Gem shortlisted spots taken up by local venues. Also celebrated were:- Silcock’s Carousel on the Promenade; Cranberry’s Coffee Shop in Cambridge Walks; and Tik Taco restaurant on Coronation Walk. 

Sunnyside Guest House  on Bath Street, Southport, which was shortlisted for an incredible 4 awards, won the B&B and Guest House of the Year Award. It was the second year in a row Sunnyside has won the accolade.

The Eden Warehouse on West Street won the Self Catering Accommodation of the Year category. 

The Windmill on Seabank Road and The Guelder Rose on Marine Drive were both finalists in the Pub Of The Year category.

Braemer Southport on Bath Street was shortlisted for B&B and Guest House of the Year.

The awards were delivered by Growth Platform, Liverpool City Region.

Southport Chair Dan Taylor was a guest at the awards and was delighted to see so many familiar faces, as he encouraged even more Southport venues to submit their nominations for next year’s event. 

Dan Taylor said:- “I was amazed that there were so many Southport businesses recognised as finalists and as winners when you consider the huge competition they faced from the massive range of leisure and tourism businesses across the whole of Merseyside. For Southport to be shortlisted in so many categories, and then to win 3 of the awards on offer, just shows the high quality of what our town has to offer. I am immensely proud of them all. The Liverpool City Tourism Awards is a superb opportunity to raise awareness and the profile of the businesses recognised on that night, and I'm sure our finalists and winners will have been enjoying basking in the spotlight as a result. They have done a superb job in really flying the flag for Southport. It’s an important message that we want more local venues to put their names forward for next year’s awards! It was a very impressive event and a fantastic evening. These are very prestigious awards held in a beautiful venue. It was the 1st time I had been to it and I was nervous about what to expect! It was my 1st proper engagement as the new Chair of Southport BID and it was a great start. It was good to see so many familiar faces. To see so many finalists in the Hidden Gem category, and to see it won by Southport Bijou Cinema, highlights the quality of what visitors can find when they come to Southport. There is such a fantastic range of businesses that we have here that we should all really shout about. Many of our finalists were local, independent businesses. They invested their time, their money and their livelihoods into creating successful enterprises, and now they are reaping the rewards. They have all been through some very trying times through the Covid crisis, and more recently through difficulties with the cost of living crisis, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine creating supply chain issues. They have come through all of these challenges and they are surviving and they are thriving and making Southport a great place to come to. I hope local people recognise the efforts that business owners put into their ventures and go out and support them.” 

The Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards is just 1 of the ways in which Dan Taylor and Southport BID want to see greater representation for Southport businesses through the wider Merseyside region. There are many opportunities to be enjoyed. 

Dan Taylor said:- “1 of the things which Southport BID is very keen to do is to forge greater partnerships between Southport and the Liverpool City Region to provide more help and support to our local businesses. We can really get behind lots of regional initiatives taking place and embrace what is going on. 1 example of this is Eurovision, which is coming to Liverpool this May. It is going to bring a fantastic amount of business to the Liverpool City Region and it is important that Southport is in the driving seat to really capitalise on that. Southport BID is putting together some exciting proposals to maximise that and we are looking forward to sharing more details very soon.”