By Betsy Everett
Eight weeks after welcoming their first guests to The Dairy in Newbiggin, officially the most accessible self-catering cottage in the Yorkshire Dales, Diane and Andrew Howarth have added another major award to their portfolio.
The cottage, judged to meet the highest standards possible for every type of disability – mobility, hearing and sight – has now taken second place in the national Blue Badge Style awards.
First place went to a boutique Georgian hotel in London’s West End, the Zetter Townhouse in Marylebone. The Dairy, by contrast, is a single storey building which the Howarths converted and designed themselves, alongside their own home in the small Bishopdale hamlet.
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The awards, announced in London, recognise “exceptional venues with style and accessibility,” and the Dairy was up against competition from the best in the country.
They were nominated in the best boutique hotel/resort category by the London company, Motionspot, which provided some of the accessibility features in the Dairy’s fully accessible wet room.
“We are completely amazed to be recognised at national level all within two months of accepting our first guests at the Dairy,” said Diane. “It’s a hugely prestigious award and we’re delighted.”
Fiona Jarvis, founder of Blue Badge Style, said: “Our awards are about promoting stylish venues which also have good access and facilities. Too often people with disabilities don’t go out because they don’t know what to expect when they get there and staff don’t know what to do when they arrive.”
The Howarths’ other holiday cottage, The Byre, also in Newbiggin, was named best self-catering property of the Year in the VisitEngland awards 2017 and Yorkshire cottage of the year in the White Rose awards in 2016.
