A hotel and water sports complex in Cornwall has been recognised as Best UK Family Business by private and commercial bank Coutts.
The Hotel and Extreme Academy in Watergate Bay, run by two generations of the Ashworth family, beat an insurance building repair specialist and an international freight company to win the top prize in the £1-5m turnover category.
Dubbed a ski resort on the beach, the Hotel and Extreme Academy has grown hugely under the Ashworths who have increased turnover from £1.1m to £5m and boosted the number of employees to 95 from 10 over the past eight years.
As well as providing accommodation, the resort offers sports tuition and equipment hire. It is also based in the same area as Jamie Oliver`s Fifteen restaurant.
The competition`s judges said they were impressed by the direction the business had taken over the past 10 years and the mature way in which it had been run, despite a young management team.
The company was also credited with helping to develop the restaurant set up by Oliver.
Juliette Johnson, Coutts Senior Family Business Adviser said: “What shines through is the strength of the family’s values which have been embedded in the culture of the business over the years. These values influence how and why things get done and act as the glue binding the family and the business together. They encourage the family to develop as responsible stewards of the business which is a key factor to the successful evolution of any family business.”
The family has won the chance to have a biography written or a family photo album created and printed. They can also choose to work with Duncan Ward, the BBC Young Composer of the Year who will create an exclusive piece of music for the resort that can be played on the website, in promotional videos or on telephones.