Bonners Lodge in Consett is one of eight hotels and bed and breakfasts which have been given a Rose award by Visit England for 2024, praising them for their work as a business. Others in the region which have been given the accolade is 1 Teesdale Road in Barnard Castle and the Maldron Hotel in Newcastle. Bonners Lodge, Consett.
(Image: BONNERS LODGE) Owners and operators of the lodge Michelle and Ken O'Brien say they were "shocked" to receive the accolade eight years after they opened the lodge in 2017. Michelle, 59, told The Northern Echo that the pair work together to keep the lodge running whilst husband Ken, 63, continues to work as an engineer for Virgin Atlantic. Animals at Bonners Lodge, Consett.
(Image: BONNERS LODGE) "We started up after I decided to quit my job which was in finance. We re-arranged the house and decided to do a bed and breakfast as well as a small caravan site. "I just got fed up of the hum drum of going in to work every day when I live in such a beautiful place and I wanted to make the most of it.
" The lodge, which Michelle says "gives the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere", can be found off the A68 and has a range of rooms as well as a whole host of animals - including alpacas. Food at Bonners Lodge, Consett. (Image: BONNERS LODGE) Having not needed to apply for the Rose award, the couple were shocked to find the accolade drop in to their email inbox on an otherwise normal day.
Michelle said: "The award came as an email in to our inbox and .