HOVERTRAVEL has been announced as one of ten finalists in the Travel Trade Gazette’s LGBT awards.

This year’s most LGBT-friendly travel company category is hotly contested with global brands such as Celebrity Cruises and All Nippon Airways competing alongside Manchester Airport and the Thomas Cook Group.

Loretta Lale, head of commercial at the Isle of Wight company, said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for this award and delighted to be recognised for our efforts to support the LGBT community.

“On our hovercraft and across our business, all are welcome and we celebrate diversity.

"For the last two years we have been passionate sponsors of Isle of Wight Pride and this year we were hovering proud in the London Pride Parade.

"To be in the final with these famous travel companies demonstrates how the team at Hovertravel work together to support all their customers.”

For 2018, Hovertravel fully supported Isle of Wight Pride’s bid to host UK Pride 2018.

On Saturday, July 7, the company represented Isle of Wight Pride in the London Pride Parade.

The 30,000 parade participants were watched by an estimated 1 million plus people.

The company’s engineering truck was transformed from an everyday workhorse into a fabulous manifestation of a working hovercraft, complete with skirt, propeller ducts and some specially adapted marine technology.

Emblazoned with Hovertravel’s distinctive union flag livery, the float carried 12 people including its own dedicated DJ.

The all-white uniforms, including boiler suits for engineers, were given a Pride flourish with rainbow detailing on sleeves and the pilots’ epaulettes.