Galleries, museums, castles, cathedrals and even a tramway village are among the worthy winners of this year’s prestigious Sandford Awards celebrating the excellent educational programmes delivered by heritage sites in the UK.

In total 42 sites have been selected this year, and they will gather at Worcester Cathedral on Monday 21^st November 2016 to receive their award.

They include famous and ancient heritage sites such as Stonehenge, Lincoln Castle and the Tower of London as well as less high-profile attractions such as the London Canal Museum, Crich Tramway Village and the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre.

The Sandford Awards are jointly managed by Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln and the Heritage Education Trust.

This year’s ceremony will be held at Worcester Cathedral, itself an award winner this year, and the awards will be presented by Professor David Rae, Executive Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Bishop Grosseteste University.

Jean Macintyre, Head of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange at BGU, said: “We are delighted by the diversity of educational experiences we have witnessed in 2016 that are worthy of this prestigious award.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming all our winners to Worcester Cathedral which will provide a fitting and magnificent backdrop for our celebrations.”

The ceremony begins at 2pm on Monday 21^st November 2016. After the presentation ceremony and during the reception in the Chapter House there will be an exhibition of Worcester Cathedral’s education work.

Members of the media are welcome to attend. If you would like to come, please contact Shooting Star by calling 01522 528540 or by emailing jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk. Photographs will be available after the event.

Sandford Award Winners 2016

Beaulieu, Hampshire
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, North Yorkshire
Conisbrough Castle, South Yorkshire
Crich Tramway Village, Derbyshire
Cromford Mills, Derbyshire
DIG, York
The Dorman Museum, North Yorkshire
Durham Cathedral
Durham University Oriental Museum
Durham University Palace Green Library
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, Lincolnshire
Haslemere Educational Museum, Surrey
Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum, County Durham
Helston Museum, Cornwall
Holkham Estate, East Anglia
Horniman Museum and Gardens, London
Kensington Palace, London
King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicestershire
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Lincoln Castle
Lismore Castle Arts, Northern Ireland
London Canal Museum
The Mary Rose Museum, Hampshire
Museum of Hartlepool, County Durham
Museum of Lincolnshire Life
Museum of London
National Museum of the Royal Navy, Hampshire
The Rosslyn Chapel Trust, Scotland
Selly Manor Museum, West Midlands
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Warwickshire
Stonehenge-English Heritage, Wiltshire
Sudbury Hall & the National Trust Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
Sulgrave Manor, Oxfordshire
Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire
Tower Bridge Exhibition
Tower of London
Worcester Cathedral
York Art Gallery
York Castle Museum

Notes to editors

• The Sandford Awards were established in 1978 by Lord Sandford to encourage those responsible for running historic houses and guide their educational endeavours by monitoring standards.
• The awards were originally administered by The Council for Environmental Education. To develop the awards more fully, the Heritage Education Trust was established in 1983 and now runs the scheme in collaboration with Bishop Grosseteste University.
• Bishop Grosseteste University was established in January 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
• It is an independent higher education institution based in Lincoln which awards its own degrees at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• It changed its name from Bishop Grosseteste University College to Bishop Grosseteste University in November 2012.
• BGU has over 2,300 students, including undergraduate, postgraduate and research, with over 280 students at collaborative partners across Lincolnshire.
• In 2015 BGU was the second highest ranked university in the UK for employability with almost 99% of leavers in work or study six months after graduating (2013/14 DLHE).
• In 2016 BGU was 2nd highest ranked public university in England for student satisfaction, with 92% of students ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their overall student experience (NSS, 2016)
• To learn more about Bishop Grosseteste University visit www.bishopg.ac.uk

For media information please contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star
01522 528540
07780 735071
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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