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Everything’s coming up roses for a Cockerham farming family whose self-catering cottages have just won a national award.

The Parry family have received a VisitEngland ROSE Award which recognises accommodation providers across England who give visitors the warmest of welcomes.

They won the award for Cobblestones Barn, part of their Patty’s Barn complex of 4-star self-catering cottages in Hillam Lane, Cockerham.

“We have done a lot of upgrades to the site since it opened in 2000 but were really surprised and chuffed when we heard we’d won the ROSE Award,” said Michelle Parry, daughter of owners, Margaret and Chris Parry.

Margaret and Michelle Parry receive their Rose Award certificate from Dame Judith Macgregor, interim chair of the British Tourist Authority Board.

The ROSE Awards celebrate establishments where the owners, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation, provide outstanding experiences for their customers.

Award winners are chosen based on reviews and an inspector’s visit.

Michelle and Margaret received a certificate and a Rose Award emblem to use on promotional material at a special ceremony near London.

Patty’s Barn, whose site also boasts its own nature trail, is a past winner of a Green Tourism Award too.

The family behind the award winning Patty's Barn. Left to right Michelle Parry, Lynn Fawcett, Margaret Parry, Chris Parry and Rachel Halhead. Picture by Mindy Coe Photography.

The Parrys are a fourth generation farming family and still run a dairy farm and a fishery as well as producing renewable energy by anaerobic digestion alongside running the cottages.

Michelle also has her own business on the site – The Rewilding – providing food experiences and seasonal retreats.

The Parry family opened their first cottages developed from a converted barn, 22 years ago and added more in 2014 so run 10 cottages in total, which can accommodate around 50 people.

When converting the barns, the Parrys used only local materials and suppliers, ensuring the accommodation is full of character and features original beams and stone.

A cosy lounge in one of the Patty's Barn cottages.

Visitors travel from all over the country to stay in the cottages with many return visits.

“They think the location is very special and enjoy the sunsets and views over to the Lakes and Blackpool,” said Michelle.

The cleanliness of the cottages is often commented on as is the way Margaret looks after their guests.

The ROSE awards are now in their sixth year after being paused in 2020 and 2021, and celebrate the establishments where the owners, management and employees, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation, provide outstanding experiences for their customers.

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