A HOST of East Lancashire’s finest restaurants, hotels and attractions will be vying for honours as the county’s top tourist spots battle it out later this year.

The finalists for the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2015 have been announced, revealing some of the area’s best-known destinations on the shortlist.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Covering a range of categories, including hotels and B&Bs, wedding venues, customer service and best pub, the winners will discover their fate at a swanky event at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on November 5.

Last year’s winner the Assheton Arms in Downham, near Clitheroe, has been nominated again in the best pub category.

It’s one of three East Lancashire hostelries in the reckoning, locking horns with the Eagle and Child in Ramsbottom and The Sparrowhawk in Burnley.

Blackburn Business Improvement District’s (BID) Countryside Comes to Town festival has been shortlisted in the tourism event category.

Oswaldtwistle Mills shopping centre has been nominated in the best for groups, retail experience and large visitor attraction categories. The former weaving mill has over 100 retailers, five restaurants, plus a lifestyle and garden centre.

The Millstone in Mellor gets the nod in the B&B section, alongside Burnley’s No 1 Crow Wood, while the Shireburn Arms in Clitheroe is nominated for the best small hotel.

Whalley’s Mitton Hall and Clitheroe’s Browsholme Hall and Tithe Barn will take on three other contenders for the fiercely-fought wedding venue award.

Stage two of the Tour of Britain, which saw tens of thousands pack the streets to cheer on world-class cyclists between Clitheroe and Colne last month, is racing for the line in the tourism event section.

Ruth Connor, chief executive of Marketing Lancashire, which organises the awards, said: “The quality of applications never fails to impress and this year the judges have a real challenge deciding on the winners in each category.”

Other East Lancashire attractions in the final reckoning include Bertram’s Restaurant in Burnley, La Locanda in Gisburn, The Whitaker museum and art gallery in Rossendale and Best Western Mytton Fold Hotel in Blackburn. For the full list of finalists visit lancashiretourismawards.com