Awards Celebrate Best of Northamptonshire’s Heritage

July 15, 2014

Northamptonshire Heritage Awards announce eight winners.

Heritage organisations from Northamptonshire were recognised last Thursday night at the Northamptonshire Museum and Historic Houses Forum’s Heritage Awards which celebrate the county’s outstanding heritage through the work of almost 50 museums, historic houses and other historic organisations.

Northamptonshire has the highest concentration of historic houses in England as well as almost 50 museums most of which are run by passionate volunteers. This sector plays a vital role in attracting visitors to the county each year.

At the ceremony, held at Sywell Aviation Museum and the Aerodrome on Thursday 10 July, winners included Rushden Museum who won Best Exhibition and Desborough Heritage Centre who won Heritage Site of the year. Kettering Museum and Art Gallery scooped the People’s Choice Award, a publicly voted category reflecting the population of Northamptonshire’s favourite heritage destination supported by the BBC Radio Northampton.

The awards are organised by a sub-committee of the Northamptonshire Museums and Historic Houses Forum (NMHHF) a network, run by a volunteer committee, dedicated to supporting and developing heritage organisations in the county. The awards ceremony was hosted by BBC Radio Northampton’s John Griff and was also attended by many VIP’s including Northamptonshire’s new Lord Lieutenant David Laing and the Mayor of Wellingborough Councillor Jim Bass. The awards were sponsored by The University of Northampton and supported by BBC Radio Northampton and Museum Development East Midlands.

The winners of the 2014 Northamptonshire Heritage Awards are:

Best Exhibition: Winner Rushden Museum for WW1 Centenary Exhibition

Best event: Winner Kettering Museum and Art Gallery for the Alfred East Art Gallery Centenary re-opening event

Community Award: highly commended Daventry Museum for a Wall of faces – 2 winners Prebendal Manor and Tithe Barn Museum for ‘a zeppelin over Yarwell’ and Sywell Aviation Museum for young aviator tours.

Best Volunteer project: Northampton and Lamport Railway Preservation Society for the restoration of the only 10 tonne W Roller of 1899.

Best special Project: highly commended; Kettering Museum and Art Gallery for Museum and Gallery signage and the winner Desborough Heritage Centre for expansion and development of the heritage centre.

Best project on a limited budget: winner Kettering Museum and Art Gallery for Kettering High School Centenary exhibition.

Judges special awards – Jeyes heritage and pharmacy museum for a unique heritage experience and also Canons Ashby for innovative collaboration.

People’s Choice award: Kettering Museum and Art Gallery

Heritage Site of the year: Desborough Heritage Centre

Find out more

To find out more about the Northamptonshire Heritage Awards and the Northamptonshire Museums and Historic Houses Forum, visit http://www.nmhhforum.co.uk/index.html

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