Awards Archives - Great British Car Journey

We won GOLD!

March 3, 2023 Emma Loughlin

0 Comments

Great British Car Journey has been named as the overall winner of the New Tourism Business category in the 2023 Visit Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Awards.

The Buxton Crescent Heritage Experience and The George at Hathersage told the silver and bronze awards respectively.

The announcement was made at a glittering awards ceremony held at Casa Hotel in Chesterfield on the 2 March.

Unfortunately, Great British Car Journey’s founder and CEO Richard was ill so missed out on the fantastic night, however General Manager Ian Gardecki was there to collect the award. He said: “We were so happy to win, and it was brilliant to be able to share the news with all the team at Great British Car Journey the next day. The very late finish on the night and early start the next day was definitely worth the slight headache!”

Great British Car Journey was one of 14 gold winners on the night. As the winner of one of the 13 core categories in the awards, we now progress onto the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023, which represent the highest accolades in English tourism. The awards will be held later this year in June.

Gold winners were each presented with hand-crafted awards, designed and made by Derbyshire-based C W Sellors Fine Jewellery & Luxury Watches, whilst Silver and Bronze winners each received a certificate identifying them as one of the finest tourism businesses in the area.

Jo Dilley, managing director of tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “The awards are a celebration of all that’s great about the tourism industry locally, and recognise its vital importance to the economy as well as the hard work, talent and dedication of those who work in this important sector.

“The quality and diversity of our tourism offer is immense and, in light of the many difficulties faced by the industry over the past three years, we should be tremendously proud of not only our award-winners, but of all our finalists.

“They have shown adaptability, innovation, and commitment to delivering world-class experiences to visitors day in, day out and help make the Peak District and Derbyshire such a fantastic place to live, work and visit. Congratulations everyone.”

We were also delighted to see our Peak District and Derwent Valley neighbours Matlock Farm Park, Heights of Abraham and Thornbridge Estate secure awards at the event. The 2023 gold Young Achiever was announced as Josh Butler of Longbow Bars and Restaurants. He takes over the accolade from our own heritage apprentice Luke Henshaw who won it last year.

Luke has since been shortlisted for the prestigious VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award, the winner of which will be announced during English Tourism Week (Friday 17 – Sunday 26 March 2023).

Voting closes at midnight on 20 March, to vote for Luke to win the 2023 VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award complete the form here.

Help Luke win VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2023 Award

February 5, 2023 manager

Great British Car Journey’s classic car apprentice – Luke Henshaw – has been nominated for the prestigious VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award. And we want you to vote and help Luke win the award.

Luke (18) is just one of 10 finalists throughout England who are in the running for the prestigious award.

Last year the title was won by Matlock Farm Park’s George Finlay. George was the first ever winner of the award in Derbyshire and the Peak District, and now the area has the unique opportunity to win again.

Luke Henshaw, Great British Car Journey’s classic car apprentice

Organised by national tourist board VisitEngland and supported by The Mirror, the Tourism Superstar competition recognises the dedication and passion of those working in the tourism industry.

The winner is decided by a public vote. The competition invites members of the public to visit mirror.co.uk/travel to watch a short film created for each of the 10 finalists and then to vote for their favourite. People have just six weeks to vote and help Luke, Derbyshire and the Peak District win the award.

Luke has worked at the classic car visitor attraction since it opened in May 2021 following his successful application to the Heritage Skills Academy (HSA) in Bicester. He is now one of only a few apprentices in the country who are training to become qualified craftspeople and heritage professionals to ensure the appropriate conservation, repair and maintenance of historic assets.

Luke, who lives in Mansfield and attended Brunts Academy, described the apprenticeship as a ‘dream come true’.

As part of his role at Great British Car Journey, Luke ensures nearly 150 classic British cars – which range in age from 1903 to 2000, are in working order. Luke also helps to keep a fleet of 38 cars maintained and fully roadworthy for the Drive Dad’s Car experience.

Luke is no stranger to awards. Last year he won the Tourism Young Achiever Gold Award in the 2022 Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Awards, organised by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire.

Delighted to be shortlisted for the Tourism Superstar Award, Luke said: “I am absolutely blown away. I love working at Great British Car Journey. Being able to combine my passion for classic cars with a career is just brilliant. I get to work on them every day, learn new skills and also talk to other classic car enthusiasts who visit. I also love that my role enables me to inspire visitors of all ages to learn more about these unique vehicles, helping them have an enjoyable time here.”

Richard Usher, owner and founder of Great British Car Journey, added: “Luke is already a superstar to us. If he wins the VisitEngland title, then it will very much be the icing on the cake for all of us.

“Luke has impressed us from day one. He is keen to learn, enthusiastic and also a really personable young man who all the team enjoy working with and our visitors also enjoy talking to. He surprises many of our visitors with his knowledge of not only the cars at Great British Car Journey but classic cars in general. His youth belies his knowledge and the enthusiasm for these wonderful vehicles.”

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, added: “Luke is a fantastic role model and a brilliant ambassador for the tourism sector, demonstrating the rewarding careers and great opportunities available for young people in the industry. He is clearly passionate about inspiring visitors of all ages to have a memorable visit and we’re delighted to see him reach the final. Now we urge Derbyshire residents, businesses and visitors alike to get behind Luke and vote!”

The winner of the award will be announced during English Tourism Week 2023 (Friday 17 – Sunday 26 March 2023).

Each of the finalists are highlighted in a short video on the Mirror website. Simply watch the video, then vote for Luke. Voting is open until midnight on 20 March 2023.

To vote for Luke Henshaw to win the 2023 VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award complete the form here.

Great British Car Journey wins 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award

June 27, 2022 manager

Just 13 months after opening, Derbyshire’s indoor classic car visitor attraction has become a favourite on Tripadvisor.

Great British Car Journey, which is based in Ambergate, has been recognised by Tripadvisor with a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner for its excellent visitor reviews.

The award celebrates businesses that have received great reviews from travellers around the globe on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months.

The attraction consistently receives five-star reviews on the world’s largest travel guidance platform with one recent reviewer even claiming, ‘I would give it 10 stars if I could’.

The attraction, which opened on 22 May 2021 in the middle of the pandemic, has wowed more than 40,000 visitors who have travelled from throughout the UK to see the unique collection of more than 130 British classic cars and even drive some of them with the Drive Dad’s Car experience.

In addition to the Tripadvisor award, Great British Car Journey and Drive Dad’s Car have picked up numerous other awards, including Gold, Silver and Bronze in the 2022 Peak District and Derbyshire Tourism Awards earlier this year.

As well as car marques that have long since disappeared from the UK’s roads, like Austin, Morris and Hillman, the collection boast cars with a very special story, like Lord Baden Powell’s former Rolls Royce (Jam Roll) and Elton John’s Bentley Continental T.

“Car museums can be very dull and that’s definitely what I didn’t want to create when I established Great British Car Journey. My team, and the many volunteers who work here, have done a brilliant job at helping create a memorable experience for everyone who visits and the Tripadvisor award certainly points to that,” explained the attraction’s founder Richard Usher.

Visitors to the attraction are guided around the display with a unique handheld audio device which tells the fascinating story of Britain’s once booming car design and manufacturing industry.

Richard added: “The cars we have on display at Great British Car Journey have played a big part in many people’s lives. Great British Car Journey is so much more than a car museum it is a trip down memory lane and, that, sets us apart from other motoring attractions and is helping us gain such fantastic Tripadvisor reviews. It’s great to see so many people love the collection and whole experience as much as I do.”

“Congratulations to the 2022 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Winners,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “The Travellers’ Choice Awards recognize the best in tourism and hospitality, according to those who matter most: your guests. Ranking among the Travellers’ Choice winners is always tough — but never more so than this year as we emerge from the pandemic. Whether it’s using new technology, implementing safety measures, or hiring outstanding staff, I’m impressed by the steps you’ve taken to meet travellers’ new demands. You’ve adapted brilliantly in the face of adversity.”

To find out more about Great British Car Journey and purchase your tickets, visit greatbritishcarjourney.com Or, for those looking for the ultimate trip down memory lane, visit drivedadscar.com to learn more and book a drive.

Triple win for Great British Car Journey in2022 Tourism Awards

March 4, 2022 manager

0 Comments

Great British Car Journey’s apprentice mechanic Luke Henshaw has been named as the 2022 Tourism Young Achiever in the Peak District and Derbyshire Tourism Awards.

Luke (18) was one of just 15 Gold winners at the awards, which were organised by Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire. ‘Tourism Young Achiever’ was a new award category added to the awards line-up to recognise the thousands of jobs supported by tourism across the Peak District and Derbyshire.

In addition to Luke’s win, the Ambergate-based classic car attraction also scooped the silver award in the New Tourism Business category and bronze in the Experience of the Year category for its unique Drive Dad’s Car experience just 10 months after opening its door to visitors.
Luke, from Mansfield, joined Great British Car Journey in April ahead of the popular attraction opening in May 2021. He works and learns alongside the attraction’s Chief Engineer and to keep a fleet of nearly 200 cars in working order.

Delighted to be recognised, Luke said: “it’s a great honour to be recognised. I was a little nervous but the atmosphere was brilliant and a great experience for my first awards ceremony. I’m learning so much at Great British Car Journey. It’s a fantastic place to work with an amazing variety of the cars that I get to work on daily. It’s brilliant.”

Richard Usher, founder and CEO of Great British Car Journey said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been recognised across three categories in the awards after opening just 10 months ago amidst Covid restrictions.
“Luke, as indeed all the team – from volunteers and paid employees – are integral to ensuring Great British Car Journey continues to grow and become the go-to destination for classic car enthusiasts throughout the UK.

“Despite recent setbacks with the weather, we’re all really looking forward to 2022. We have even more plans for the attraction in the pipeline and the team and I are definitely aiming for more golds in the awards next year.

Designed to recognise and reward excellence and outstanding achievement in the Peak District and Derbyshire’s valuable tourism sector, the awards brought together 41 finalists in 15 categories for a glittering ceremony at Chesterfield’s four-star Casa Hotel.
Great British Car Journey is open seven days a week from 10.00am until 5.00pm and charts the history of the British motoring industry through more than 130 cars on display, including Austin Sevens, Morris Minors, Minis, Ford Escorts and even a McLaren supercar.

You can book tickets to visit us at: www.greatbritishcarjourney.com

Currently Viewing Posts in Awards

We won GOLD!

Help Luke win VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2023 Award

Great British Car Journey wins 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award

Triple win for Great British Car Journey in2022 Tourism Awards

Visit the Exhibition, Drive the Cars & Buy the Merchandise

Please follow us on

Start the Journey!

01773 317243

Website developed by