A GLITTERING awards ceremony awaits three South Lakeland businesses.

The Watermill Inn & Brewery, at Ings, Rothay Garden, at Grasmere and Kendal Mountain Festival are all finalists in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014.

They face an anxious wait to find out which award they will receive at the ceremony on May 12, at Cheltenham racecourse.

All finalists are guaranteed to receive a gold, silver, bronze or highly commended award in their category.

Chris Carss, owner of Rothay Garden, which has been selected in the Small Hotel of the Year category, said: “It reflects the efforts of all our team and I am absolutely delighted.”

Watermill Inn & Brewery has been selected in the Tourism Pub of the Year category.

Owner Brian Coulthwaite said: “It is a fantastic achievement for our hard-working staff and is a great reward for their efforts.”

And Clive Allen, a director of the Kendal Mountain Festival, which is nominated in the Tourism Event of the Year category, said: “The festival first took place in the early 1980s, has grown ever since, and now brings more than 10,000 people and £2 million value into the area each November.”

James Berresford, VisitEngland’s chief executive added: “We receive hundreds of applications each year of an extremely high standard, so it is a tremendous achievement for any business to become a finalist.”

Ian Stephens, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: ‘’It is extremely important for our tourism businesses to be recognised by their peers both locally and nationally.”