At this year's Lancashire Excellence in Tourism Skills (LETS) awards, the team received a highly commended award in the Tourism Team of the Year category.

The centre, which opened in March 2008, is right outside Boundary Mill in Colne, one of Pendle's main retail attractions.

Michelle Webb, who manages Discover Pendle, said:

"When I discovered we'd been highly commended in this award, I was thrilled!

"I am very proud of the team at the centre.

"They are dedicated ambassadors, promoting the area and attractions to all our visitors."

Michelle works alongside Alan Spence, Richard Sims and Bethan Evans-Shaw.

Together they have helped over 200,000 people since the Discover Pendle centre opened.

They help to promote Pendle as a visitor destination to the 2.5 million shoppers who visit Boundary Mill each year.

Councillor John David, who is Chair of the Discover Pendle Steering Group, said:

"We chose to open our Discover Pendle centre at Boundary Mill as a way of grabbing the attention of their visitors to tell them how wonderful Pendle is.

"Staff at the Discover Pendle centre have helped us to get across the message that Pendle has so much more to offer than just shopping.

"We've got brand new visitor attractions such as the ACE Centre, Cafe Cargo and the Marton Emperor Canal Cruises at Foulridge and the re-launched Stream and Steam trail in Barnoldswick.

"We're blessed with beautiful countryside with its many walking and cycling routes.

"Plus there's a wealth of visitor accommodation for people who want to stay a little longer, and the Discover Pendle staff can make bookings for people."

Councillor Allan Buck, who represents tourism in Pendle, said:

"Michelle and her team got very high scores in a recent mystery shopper exercise, which tests how customer focused they are.

"I want to thank the whole team for their dedication; we're thoroughly pleased with their hard work and they deserve this recognition."

Mike Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board, said:

"Its situation at one of Pendle's most successful attractions and proximity to major motorway networks, ensures that the information centre is accessed by significant numbers of visitors en route to destinations across the county.

"It's therefore crucial that the staff have the customer care skills and breadth of knowledge about Lancashire that has been so professionally displayed by Discover Pendle's award-winning team.

"The LETS award is much deserved and on behalf of the tourist board our congratulations go to all our colleagues in Pendle who have helped achieve this success."

The Lancashire Excellence in Tourism Skills (LETS) Awards take place every November to recognise and reward the people who make a difference in the tourism business.

For more information about the LETS Awards, contact Anna Izza, Communications Executive at Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board, on (01257) 226614 or aizza@lbtbltd.com

To find out more about the Discover Pendle centre and its dedicated team, contact the Discover Pendle Centre Manager, Michelle Webb on (01282) 856186 or email michelle.webb@pendle.gov.uk

Alternatively, contact Pendle Council's Tourism Team Leader on (01282) 661963 or email michael.williams@pendle.gov.uk.