THE "Our Gracie" exhibition at Rochdale Museum won a top tourism accolade last night. This look at the life and times of the town's famous entertainer Gracie Fields scooped the Local and Regional Award at the second annual Greater Manchester Business Through Tourism Awards. The results were announced during a sell-out gala dinner at the Baker Street Set at the Granada Studies Tour in Manchester.

Greater Manchester Visitor and Convention Bureau - a private/public partnership - organises the awards to recognise, promote and reward individuals and organisations which have done most to generate tourism business in the Greater Manchester region.

Judges were impressed by Rochdale Museum's innovative partnership with the private sector and its success in attracting 65,000 visitors in its first two years.

The Manchester Ship Canal Centenary celebrations and Bolton's House of Raja were highly commended in this category - sponsored by NYNEX Cable-Comms.

It was another successful evening for Sital Raja, the livewire Marketing Manager for the family-owned House of Raja's department store in Fletcher Street.

The business, which was established in 1974, has had consistent success in the Bolton Business Awards, winning the Sales and Marketing title earlier this year.

Organised group visits are arranged from as far afield as Edinburgh, London and Cardiff.

There was warm applause when the Personal Contribution Award (sponsored by Greater Manchester Metro) went to football legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Elizabeth Jeffreys, the GMVCB Chief Executive, said today that the Business Through Tourism Awards were now established as an annual celebration of Greater Manchester's growing tourism product.

She added: "Total visitor expenditure increased by £94 million in 1994 to £419 million.

"The high standard of entries this year reflects the development of the region as an important visitor destination."

Other awards were:

NATIONAL AWARD (sponsored by InterCity CrossCountry)

- Wigan Pier.

Highly commended - Regional Railways North East and Tatton Park Halle Concert.

INTERNATIONAL AWARD (Manchester Airport) - Intohome - Trade Link Company.

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARD (British Airways) - Carnival Weekend, the Village Charity.

Highly commended: Ona Catalana, National Weekend of Co-operation, Rochdale Co-operative Movement.

IMAGE AWARD (GMVCB) - Jointly given to Central Manchester Development Corporation and Trafford Park Development Corporation.

Last year's winners included the East Lancashire Railway at Bury, Boardman's self-catering in Bury and the new Bolton School Arts and Conference Centre.

**Gracie Fields pictured in 1979. She died later in the year, aged 81.

**Sir Bobby Charlton.

**Flashback to the Bolton Business Awards in February, when Sital Raja was presented with her Sales and Marketing Award by Reebok founder Joe Foster.

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