TOURISM superstar and Hovertravel employee, Lorry Middleton, has been recognised by Visit England for his outstanding achievement.

After winning more than third of the public vote to become the nation's tourism superstar earlier this year, a virtual awards event was held last night (Monday) to recognise Lorry.

Neil Chapman, managing director of Hovertravel, said Lorry is frequently mentioned in customer feedback and his commitment to customer service is an example to everyone.

He said: "Everyone at Hovertravel is delighted that he has now been recognised by the UK public. The current circumstances have made the normal awards ceremony impossible so the virtual awards evening with a mixture of live streaming and pre-recorded videos provided the best opportunity for Lorry to be officially awarded.”

Isle of Wight County Press:

Lorry has now been given an all-expenses paid VIP trip to The Rock Hotel in Gibraltar from Hovertravel and the Bland Group.

Will Myles, managing director of Visit Isle of Wight, said: “The Visit England /Mirror Tourism Superstar Award for Hovertravel's Lorry Middleton is well deserved and it was absolutely clear from Lorry's acceptance at last night's Visit England Awards for Excellence why he was the front runner throughout the entire competition.

"I'd like to thank everyone who supported Lorry in the national vote - this year has been unlike any other, and I know that throughout this time, Lorry has not lost his happy demeanour, making him such an asset to Hovertravel and to tourism on the Isle of Wight.

"I hope Lorry enjoys his trip to Gibraltar, it really is very much deserved!"