Welcome to Ribble Valley Tourism Gathering 2025
The Ribble Valley Tourism Association is proud to be part of this annual event which brings everyone together to celebrate tourism.
Ribble Valley Tourism Association is a partnership of businesses covering all sectors of the visitor economy, including accommodation, hospitality, retail, and visitor attractions. We also have members in services which support this sector. The association works with Ribble Valley Borough Council and other partners, to encourage the development of quality tourism in this area, whilst making sure visitors benefit the locality, and are sensitive to all who live here. Our purpose is to be the voice for the local tourism industry and to actively encourage visitors to come and visit.
We offer membership benefits including -
• joint marketing,
• discounted advertising rates,
• promotion through websites and social media,
• access to training and development opportunities.
• Membership also creates increased PR for the area and your business.
We promote your business to local residents and visitors from further afield. Regular newsletter and E-shots keep RVTA members up to date with industry news, events and legislation.
To join, visit our website www.rvta.co.uk and complete the application form.
By joining RVTA, you become part of a network of Ribble Valley businesses committed working together to develop quality tourism opportunities.
Amanda Dowson Chair Ribble Valley Tourism Association
www.rvta.co.uk
We are delighted to work with the Ribble Valley Tourism Association on this Tourism Gathering event.
We have so much to be proud of in this area, with award winning businesses and amazing landscapes and outstanding facilities. The Tourism Gathering gives us the opportunity to meet together, to learn and to share best practice. The Stars in Tourism awards provide us with the perfect opportunity to celebrate Ribble Valley’s amazing experiences, and the people who make the industry thrive with creativity, innovation and Tourism and the visitor economy have been priorities for the Council for some years, and we back this up with resources and a dedicated officer for Tourism and Events.
Working with the Tourism Association ensures that we are always listening to businesses and able to appreciate the challenges and opportunities. Collaboration also significantly expands our capacity to resource promotional activity and to produce new ideas and innovate approaches on how we deliver tourism.
Simon Hore Leader Ribble Valley Borough Council
Programme
10 am Networking and meet exhibitors of local products and services.
11.00 am Welcome.
11.15am Business seminar.
12.30 pm Lunch and further opportunity to network
1.15 pm Annual General Meeting of Ribble Valley Tourism Association
1.30pm ‘Ribble Valley Stars in Tourism Awards’
2.15 pm Close
Exhibitors
Thank you to our exhibitors for their support, please take time to talk to them about their services.
This year they include-
• Birchall Food Services
• Blackburn College
• Clitheroe Market
• Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream
• Mint People
• Northern Print Distribution Limited
• Outdoor Active
• Perfect Recruitment
• Procter’s cheese
• Tristar Printers
• Visit Lancashire
Thank you also to University of Lancashire and Creative-Council
ST RS IN TOURISM AWARDS
The Ribble Valley Stars in Tourism Awards are a way of highlighting some great business success stories and shining a light on some of the people who make Ribble Valley such a welcoming place to visit.
These are like no other awards; anyone can nominate and the categories are not predetermined. Nominations are simply invited for those businesses, teams and individuals that deserve to be celebrated.
This could be an outstanding event or an example of creativity or innovation. It could be a team that has excelled, or recognition of individual achievement.
The number of nominations dramatically increased again this year, and the awards panel had to make some tough decisions resulting in 25 awards in the following 15 categories:
• Tourism in the Community
• Food Champion
• Quality Tourism
• Excellence in Customer Service
• Tourism Event
• Creative Tourism
• Creative Marketing
• Transformational Tourism
• Sustainable Tourism
• Innovative Tourism
• Rising Star
• Unsung Hero
• Aspiring Manager
• Special Recognition
• Tourism Superstar
Please note that a full list of the results will be available to you as you leave the event.
The Speakers
Camilla Ainsworth Leading Entrepreneur
Camilla is a proud Lancashire gal and has built several businesses from the ground up, both service and product-based, which she has bootstrapped and exited. Camilla offers consultancy services and works with a large repertoire of clients, ranging from startups to multinational businesses. Camilla prides herself on the bespoke individualistic approach given to each client.
If you are an avid ‘Apprentice’ viewer, you may remember the ‘Yoohoo’ greeting?! (Rest assured, there would never be any dull moments in working together!). Following her Apprentice success, Camilla worked closely with Claude Littner in opening his business school and delivering modules to budding entrepreneurs.
Fun fact: When Camilla isn’t working, she loves taking her miniature goats Vincent Van goat and Nigel for walks.
Gemma Vaughan Entertainments Trailblazer
With 15 years’ experience across including Live Nation, Cuffe & Taylor, and Escape to Freight Island, Gemma has built an extraordinary career. She has worked alongside music legends such as Faithless, Cliff Richard, Mariah Carey, and Britney Spears, bringing a unique perspective gained from her success as a promoter, marketer, and venue manager.
Gemma joined Legends/ASM Global in 2023 as Director of Sales and Marketing during a transformative period for AO Arena. Tasked with navigating the challenges of a £70 million redevelopment and launching The Mezz, the UK’s first celebrity chef-led restaurant and bar within a live music venue, she has led the AO Arena to redefine live entertainment and culinary excellence.
Gemma’s dedication to the city extends beyond the arena. As a board member of Brighter Sound and the Manchester Music City network, she actively contributes to strengthening Manchester’s reputation as a global hub for music and the arts.
Richard Askam Award Winning Broadcaster & Journalist
Richard Askam is a multi-award-winning journalist and broadcaster. In more than thirty years with the BBC, he covered many major sport and news events, at home and abroad. He has reported from numerous Olympic Games, Champi ons League finals and the Tour de France. Richard now works with a number of charities and businesses, is a Senior Fellow at ‘The John Schofield Trust’ and an ambassador for the charity ‘It’s Mental.’ Brought up in Preston, Richard is a great lover of the Ribble Valley. Family walks and cycle rides in the area, have always been a big part of his life. He also admits to enjoying the odd pint or two, in the Ribble Valley’s many excellent country pubs. Richard is currently writing a book about Sir Tom Finney, who himself was a great admirer of the area’s rolling hills and renowned hospitality.
A word from our sponsors
Harrison Drury are both members and keen supporters of RVTA. We appreciate the valuable networking and information service that membership. We provide speakers for RVTA networking meetings, on key topical subjects to help local businesses.
As a company we deliver legal services as trusted legal partners to businesses, individuals and families from our offices across the region.
Harrison Drury offers both business and individual clients access to a full range of legal services with team members specialising in distinct and defined areas of law, meaning clients benefit from working with a legal team they can trust who will work closely as a cohesive unit in the delivery of advice.
We work with all kinds of companies, from SMEs and owner managed businesses, to sole traders, PLCs and large corporates
delivering advice in relation to commercial property and construction, employment, corporate and commercial, regulatory, insolvency and dispute resolution matters.
We are proud sponsors of the Ribble Valley Tourism Gathering, which is a great celebration of quality tourism in this area.
Nicola Beneduce Harrison Drury
We are grateful to everyone involved in organising and supporting this event, and to the team at Stirk House Hotel for making us so welcome.
To learn more about the council’s work in promoting and supporting tourism or to receive our regular tourism e-newsletter contact Tom Pridmore, Tourism and Events Officer on tom.pridmore@ribblevalley.gov.uk or call 01200 414496.
We manage the area’s primary tourism website, where your business can be listed, www.visitribblevalley.co.uk. Please let us know if your content on this site is out of date, or if you are not yet featured.
As soon as this event has finished, we will begin the process of planning for 2026. We will therefore be looking for a host venue and also ideas for themes for this and other events.