WELCOME to Yorkshire has announced the big winners from across the county in its annual tourism awards.

The White Rose Awards saw almost 1,000 people including celebrity guests from Emmerdale attend the festival-themed event at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate, on Monday night (November 17).

Winners were announced across 16 categories - with one of the prizes going to the successful Mallard 75 exhibition at the National Railway Museum, York, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of the A4 class locomotive setting a new steam world speed record at 126mph.

The museum held a series of commemorative events during 2013 and 2014, including an opportunity to see Mallard – which remains the world’s fastest locomotive – united with its five sister locomotives.

Other big winners include the Harrogate International Centre for business tourism; Yorebridge House, Bainbridge for restaurant of the year; The Dovecote Barns, York, for self-catering and serviced apartments; the Talbot Hotel, Malton, for small hotel; the World of James Herriot, Thirsk, for small visitor attraction.

Other North Yorkshire businesses that were highly commended in the awards were Dillons of Whitby and No 54, Helmsley, for bed and breakfast accommodation; Camp Katur, Bedale, for caravan park and holiday village; Prison and Police Museum, Ripon, for small visitor attraction; and the Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre for visitor information.

Independent chairman of judges Professor Colin Mellors said: “It’s always a genuine pleasure to see the delight on the faces of the winners and the highly commended as these awards mean so much to tourism businesses."

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “It’s been an historic year for Yorkshire and our county’s profile as a destination has never been higher."