A DELIGHTED couple who own an East Yorkshire cafe are raising a cuppa in celebration after it was nominated for a prestigious tourism award.

The Smile Cafe, run by Colin and Jo Barnes as an offshoot of the Mile Farm Shop and Feed Shed at their site in Pocklington, has been shortlisted in the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards (REYTA) for the first time.

The REYTAs, organised by tourism board Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, celebrate the best East Yorkshire has to offer in tourism terms. This year a new category - Remarkable Family Friendly Experience - was introduced to accommodate the wealth of entries.

The Smile Cafe has been nominated in this category alongside two other venues.

Jo said: “This means a lot to all of us because we have worked extremely hard to build the Smile Cafe into a family-friendly and welcoming place for visitors, and it’s truly rewarding to be acknowledged among some of the best businesses in Hull and East Yorkshire.

“It’s particularly exciting to be shortlisted in the Hull City of Culture year and we hope that the recognition might encourage visitors to come and see what the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds have to offer.”

As an extension to the Barnes’ existing farm shop and feed shed, Smile Cafe was opened in 2013, and was followed by outdoor paddock play areas.

“Our business has evolved with the times, and we established the cafe as a family destination when we sought to provide those based between Hull and York with a quality and good-value venue,” Jo said.

Despite discounters opening branches in the area, the business has grown and extended its range of services to avoid direct competition, she added. The cafe will find out whether it has triumphed against competitors Wrygarth Inn and Sewerby Hall and Gardens at the awards ceremony at The Spa, Bridlington, on March 30. The REYTAs have run annually for eight years and cover 15 categories for the region’s tourism industry businesses inclusive of hotels, venues, events, holiday parks, attractions, pubs and arts.