Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks have added another award to their growing collection.

Carole Thomas, communications manager for both parks, has received a Chairman’s Award from VisitKent recognising her support for tourism in Kent.

VisitKent chairman Amanda Cotterill said: "Since Carole has taken on the position of head of communications at Port Lympne she has taken the Park’s partnership with Visit Kent from strength to strength. Carole and her team are always incredibly proactive in ensuring the Parks, including their unique accommodation experiences, achieve presence across our range of marketing activities and we have enjoyed working more closely with them to help build their national and international profile."

It follows Port Lympne and Howletts' recent success at the KEiBA Awards, when they were named Best Leisure and Tourism Business in Kent. The annual awards celebrate and recognise excellence in business throughout the county.

Carole said: "I was delighted to receive this award. We have been working closely with VisitKent to promote the wild animal parks and I feel that our partnership is bringing excellent results in raising our profile in the county."

For information about both Howletts and Port Lympne visit www.aspinallfoundation.org