WOOD Norton Hall Hotel and Conference Centre, near Evesham, collected a prestigious award in the Heart of England Tourist Board competitions.

The Hotel and Conference Centre, which has recently been sold by the BBC to an American entrepreneur in a £7.5 million deal, was named "Small Hotel of the Year," covering hotels up to 60 bedrooms in size.

Manager Desmond Hynes said he was "thrilled to bits" with the award. "We won it in 2000 and were named runners-up last year and it is really great to win it again," he said.