Experience Nottinghamshire celebrates after scooping five VisitEngland Awards

MEDIA RELEASE - Nottingham, 13^th May 2014

Experience Nottinghamshire celebrates after scooping five VisitEngland Awards for Excellence plus Tourism Superstar Award

Experience Nottinghamshire is celebrating its success in this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014 after a record five Nottinghamshire finalists scooped Awards at the prestigious Awards Ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse last night – including the  Galleries of Justice Museum who scooped the Gold Award in the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year category.  The Gold Award is the highest Award for Excellence in Tourism in England which VisitEngland can bestow. 

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014 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.

Other Nottinghamshire Award winners are Ade Andrews of the Robin Hood Town Tours, who received a Silver Tourism Superstar Award along with a Bronze Award in the Tourism Experience of the Year category; the team behind the Elemental Force project – a one off series of Arts Council funded events – who received a Bronze Award in the Tourism Event of the Year category; Browns of Holbeck, who received a Highly Commended Award in the Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year category and Trent Bridge Ashes Test Matches who received a Highly Commended Award in the Tourism Event of the Year category.

Jennifer Spencer, Chief Executive, Experience Nottinghamshire, added: “The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence applaud the top tourism providers in the country and we are thrilled that the Galleries of Justice Museum has scooped the Gold award.  We are also thrilled for all of our Nottinghamshire winners.  To win an Award in these prestigious Awards is a fantastic achievement and it is excellent news that our Award winners have been recognised by VisitEngland for their quality offering.

“We were privileged to be part of the planning team for the Elemental Force events, and to host two of the events in Nottinghamshire - at Nottingham and Newark Castles. All of the events were a ‘sell out’, not only delighting the crowds but also complementing existing events and attractions in the area.  We were so fortunate to have an experienced creative & technical team led by Déda Producing and Johal Strategic Services to make sure that the event and its production were of the highest quality."

Nicola Burley, Director of Enterprise and Operations, Galleries of Justice, said: ‘We are ecstatic to have won the VisitEngland Gold Award; not only does it recognise the hard work and creativity of our team but also celebrates the experience of our visitors which this year has reached a new high.”

Ade Andrews of the Robin Hood Town Tours said: “To win two VisitEngland Awards in the same year is a fantastic achievement.  The Silver Award in the VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar Awards, was achieved following a public vote and knowing I have England’s support for my role is enormously gratifying.  Achieving a Bronze Award in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence is also tremendous news.”

Joan and Robin Brown from Browns of Holbeck, said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be awarded this national prize. It is the 25^th Anniversary of the Awards and we too at Browns are in our 25^th year. We are enormously proud of what we do and genuinely love doing it, so to bring home an award, is the icing on the cake for us.”

Michael Temple, Head of Marketing & Communications, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club/Trent Bridge, said: "This recognition is testament to the strength of our partnerships with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council and Experience Nottinghamshire who contributed so much to our bid to secure Ashes Test Matches.  We were all united in striving for the highest possible standards of match delivery and our efforts to stage an international sporting contest for the entire county to be proud of were very well received.

 The VisitEngland Awards attracted 368 applications for the 2014 Awards – an increase of 15% on 2013. Visit www.visitenglandawards.org for more details.