Top award for bed and breakfast couple

Sep 27 2008 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A COUPLE who turned their hand from fruit and veg to bed and breakfast have been honoured with a top accolade.

Jayne and Andrew Thackray, who run Ackroyd House B&B in Thurstonland, won the Best Newcomer to Tourism title at the prestigious White Rose Awards.

The couple used to run several fruit and vegetable shops, including the Four Seasons in the Pack Horse Centre, Huddersfield, and two outlets in the indoor market.

But they opened the five-star B&B, at Top o’the Bank, in October last year.

Mrs Thackray said they were now starting to make a name for themselves.

She said: “We haven’t quite been going 12 months, but we have achieved so much.”

“Things were a bit scary over the winter time, but it was a case of getting ourselves known and established.

“Word of mouth and repeat business has picked up.”

The couple had to go through a rigorous process to make the final of the White Rose Awards, run by the Yorkshire Tourist Board.