SIXTY-one trophies have been handed out to the best tourism businesses in the county.

An audience of 240 were at the Tank Museum in Bovington for the fourth Dorset Tourism Awards.

All parts of the county had winners after a three-stage judging process which saw the final decisions made by an independent panel.

Brenden Howard of Bournemouth’s Grove Hotel, for guests with cancer, won the Unsung Hero award. He was nominated by a mystery shopper who said he was “kind, considerate and goes out of his way to be helpful”.

Bruce Grant-Braham won the Outstanding Contribution for Tourism title for 20 years’ service to tourism in Poole and Dorset. Chair of the judges Peter Jones said: “His commitment to raising the profile of tourism has known few bounds.”

The Tank Museum itself took two gold awards and the Winner of Winners trophy at the event, sponsored by Saffery Champness.

Winners and highly commended entries were as follows.

Small Hotel/Boutique Accommodation (sponsor: Laceys Solicitors). Gold: Kings Arms, Christchurch. Silver: Best Western The Grange, Oborne; Grove Hotel, Bournemouth. Bronze: Cliff House Hotel, Bournemouth.

Small Attraction (Darren Northeast). Gold: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth. Silver: Town Mill, Lyme Regis. Bronze: Sand World, Weymouth.

Camping, Caravanning and Holiday Park (Hoseasons). Gold: Wareham Forest Tourist Park. Silver: South Lytchett Manor Caravan and Camping Park. Bronze: Newlands Holiday Park, Charmouth.

Access and Inclusivity Award (Purple Cloud). Gold: Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Ashley Heath. Silver: Ellwood Cottages, Blandford.

Cafe and Tearoom (Hotel & Catering Show). Gold: Taste Brasserie, Dorchester. Silver: Symondsbury Kitchen, Bridport. Bronze: Little Pickle Deli Cafe, Boscombe.

Tourism Event and Festival (Bournemouth University Department of Tourism and Hospitality). Gold: Tankfest, Tank Museum, Bovington. Silver: Great Dorset Chilli Festival, Wimborne St Giles; Shake and Stir Vintage Festival, Bournemouth. Bronze: Stompin’ on the Quomps, Christchurch. Highly commended: Bournemouth Wheels Festival, Bournemouth.

Bed and Breakfast (Goadsby). Gold: Dorset Dorset House, Lyme Regis. Silver: The Swanage Haven. Bronze: Swallows Rest B&B, Weymouth.

Venue and Business Tourism (Saffery Champness). Gold: Symondsbury Estate, Bridport. Silver: Italian Villa, Poole. Bronze: BH Live in partnership with Business Events Bournemouth.

Tourist Information Service (Resort Marketing). Gold: Discover Purbeck Information Centre, Wareham. Silver: Bournemouth Tourism Information Centre. Bronze: Swanage Tourist Information Centre.

Tourism Experience (Real Recruitment Solutions). Gold: RNLI College Tours, Poole. Silver: Dorset Day Trips, Bournemouth/Poole. Go Ape Moors Valley, Ringwood. Bronze: RockReef, Bournemouth Pier.

Unsung Hero Award for Customer Service (Bournemouth Water Business Services): Brenden Howard, Grove Hotel, Bournemouth.

Sustainable Tourism Award (Dorset Cereals). Gold: Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Ashley Heath. Silver: Bagwell Farm Touring Park, Weymouth.

International Visitor Experience (Italian Villa). Gold: Tank Museum, Bovington. Silver: Lancombe Country Cottages & Lodges, Dorchester.

Large Hotel (NatWest). Gold: Hilton Bournemouth. Silver: Christchurch Harbour Hotel & Spa. Bronze: The PIG on the Beach, Swanage. Highly commended: RNLI College, Poole.

Large Attraction (Take One Media). Gold: Swanage Railway. Silver: Farmer Palmers Farm Park, Poole. Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, Wareham.

Tourism Pub (Porter Dodson). Gold: Anchor Inn, Seatown. Silver: Acorn Inn, Evershot. Bronze: White Post, Rimpton.

Dog Friendly Business (Aztec Media). Gold: The Grove Arms, Ludwell. Silver: B+B Weymouth. Bronze: Bagwell Farm Touring Park, Weymouth.

Glamping Business (Booking.com). Gold: Old Forge, Compton Abbas. Silver: Caalm Camp, Shaftesbury.

Self Catering (Quality In Tourism). Gold: Greenwood Grange, Dorchester. Silver: Symondsbury Estate, Bridport. Bronze: Lancombe Country Cottages & Lodges, Dorchester.

Restaurant/Bistro of the Year (Dorset Food & Drink). Gold: Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne; Dorset Burger Company, Weymouth. Silver: Koh Thai Tapas, Poole. Bronze: PIG – on the Beach, Swanage.

Outstanding Contribution to Dorset Tourism: Bruce Grant-Braham.

Winner of winners (Dorset LEP): Tank Museum, Bovington.