As a finalist the Museum now goes forward to the glittering awards ceremony, which is being held on Monday, 11th May at the Sage Centre in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. This is the first time the Awards ceremony has taken place in the North East, coinciding with an exciting year that also sees Rugby World 2015 coming to Newcastle.
The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence celebrate the best of English tourism. They promote healthy industry competition and high standards, helping to ensure England's place as a world-class destination; this year they have attracted a total of 345 applications. The Museum is guaranteed to receive a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Award.
James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said: “It’s been another successful year for our Excellence Awards as we’ve received hundreds of applications of an extremely high standard. All the finalists should be incredibly proud that they’ve been short-listed against such tough competition. I’d like to congratulate the finalists who now represent the top five in their category in England and wish them all the very best of luck on Awards night at the Sage Centre in Gateshead - a spectacular venue to celebrate the industry’s best.”
The ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums are spread across six square miles of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, together attracting around half a million visitors per year. Intended for venues that welcome more than 50,000 visitors per annum, the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year Category will be judged on the overall quality of the experience they provide.
Delighted with their place as a finalist, Paul Gossage Director of Marketing and PR at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust said, “It is wonderful that the hard work of the Trustees, staff and volunteers has been recognised by Visit England and that the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is seen as one of the best attractions in the country.”
Further details about the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust can be found on www.ironbridge.org.uk or for information about the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence visitwww.visitenglandawards.org.
