A FAMILY-run touring caravan and camping site based four miles from Builth Wells, which has seen a 20 per cent increase in visitors in the past year, celebrated winning an award at the inaugural Mid Wales Tourism Awards.

Forest Fields at Hundred House won the Best Holiday Park, Camping or Touring Award, sponsored by Salop Leisure, at a glittering awards ceremony held at The Hafren, Newtown, which was attended by Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas. Compere was Welsh tourism personality Jonathan Jones, CBE.

Fforest Fields’ directors George and Katie Barstow said: “We are totally delighted to win this award against very stiff competition. It’s a huge accolade for the magnificent team we work with.

“We just love what we do, and it does give us delight to share Fforest Fields with our customers. People come and find peace and kids find confidence by roaming free.”

The business goes forward to represent Mid Wales at the National Tourism Awards for Wales in May 2020.

Designed to celebrate and showcase the region’s exceptional tourism industry, the biennial awards were organised and managed by MWT Cymru on behalf of Mid Wales Tourism Forum and supported by Visit Wales, the Welsh Government’s tourism arm. A dedicated Tourism Awards Advisory Group was established specifically to assist with the awards.

Fforest Fields attracts up to 15,000 visitors to Mid Wales every year – visitors increased by more than 20 per cent last year - with school holidays the peak periods and average stays increasing from two to three nights. There is now a focus to increase visitors in the colder and winter months.

“We want our visitors to lose themselves in the Fforest Fields experience, to step away from the problems and hassles of their everyday life and to remember to take pleasure in simple, basic things such as sleeping outdoors, sitting around a fire, spending time with family or swimming in open water with the sun or rain beating down on their backs,” said the Barstow family.

Runners up for the award were Islawrffordd Caravan Park, Talybont, Barmouth and Maesmawr Farm Resort, Caersws.