From Buckingham Palace to the Walsall Leather Museum, and from Gainsborough Old Hall to Windsor Castle, heritage sites in the UK and Ireland will receive recognition for their education work on Friday (5th December).

Forty-two museums, parks, zoos, houses and archives will receive a prestigious Sandford Award at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Dr Lucy Worsley, author, TV presenter and Chief Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, will present the awards, which are given every year in recognition of excellence in heritage education.

The awards are jointly managed by Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln and the Heritage Education Trust, and BGU’s Vice Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, will give the vote of thanks after the ceremony.

The winners, which represent a cross-section of heritage sites from across the country, this year include Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex and the company archive of Marks & Spencer.

Dr Tracy Borman, Sandford Co-ordinator at Bishop Grosseteste University, said: “The National Maritime Museum is a fitting setting for this year’s Sandford Awards, where we will be paying tribute to the innovative education work being undertaken by all our winners.

“We look forward to an enjoyable ceremony and extend our congratulations to all the sites receiving awards this year.”

The awards ceremony begins at 11am on Friday 5th December and members of the media are welcome to attend. If you would like to come please contact Shooting Star PR by calling 01522 528540 or by emailing hello@weareshootingstar.co.uk.

Sandford Award Winners 2014

18 Stafford Terrace
Benjamin Franklin House
Bramall Hall
Bowhill House and Country Estate
Buckingham Palace
Cannon Hall
Chester Zoo
Chiltern Open Air Museum
Combe Sydenham
Culzean Castle and Country Park
Crumlin Road Gaol
Cutty Sark
Dunster Castle and Gardens
Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fort Nelson
Gainsborough Old Hall
Gawthorpe Hall
Hill of The O’Neill and Ranfurly House
Holyroodhouse Palace
Llancaiach Fawr Manor House
Lauriston Castle
London Metropolitan Archives
Lotherton Hall
M&S Company Archive
Moseley Old Hall
Museum of Lancashire
The National Archives
National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath
Roman Baths Museum
Royal Museums Greenwich
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Sutton House
Thackray Medical Museum
Time & Tide Museum
Ufton Court
V&A Museum of Childhood
Walsall Leather Museum
Wilderspin National School Museum
Wildlife Trust Countryside Centre
Ramsey Heights
Windsor Castle

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 uphill Lincoln in January 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.

• It is an independent higher education institution which awards its own degrees at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level.

• Dr Lucy Worsley is a historian, author, TV presenter and Chief Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces. She is currently appearing with Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman in Dancing Cheek To Cheek, BBC4’s new series charting the history of dance.

• For more information visit www.lucyworsley.com.

For more information about the Sandford Awards please contact:
Dr Tracy Borman
Sandford Co-ordinator
01522 583695
tracy.borman@bishopg.ac.uk

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

[BG120Sandford]