Kent and East Sussex volunteer stationmaster Geoff Colvin received his VisitEngland Tourism Superstar award at a ceremony and dinner last Wednesday (7 June).

He was chosen for the award in March, after being nominated in February.

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence took place at Warner Brothers Studios’ ‘The Making of Harry Potter’.

VisitEngland CEO Patricia Yates (right of the photo) presented and Geoff with his trophy, and Awards compere Alex Polizzi (left) congratulated him, in front of the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾ .

Chief Stationmaster Geoff won the award after received 33 per cent of an online public vote, ahead of nine other nominees from tourist attractions across England.

Geoff was the first representative of a heritage railway to be nominated in the Award’s eleven-year history, and then became the first to win it.

The annual competition is run in partnership with the Mirror newspaper, and recognises the efforts of people working in England’s tourism industry. The ‘Tourism Superstar’ award is given to an individual who ‘goes the extra mile’ to help create exceptional visitor experiences.