Waterways in running for prestigious award

Published on 12th July 2007 in News

Staff and volunteers at the Waterways Museum in Goole will no doubt be keeping their fingers crossed during the coming weeks after learning that they have been shortlisted for a prestigious tourism award.

It was revealed last week that the museum has been voted one of three finalists in the Visitor Attraction of the Year (under 50,000 visitors) category of the Yorkshire Tourist Board's (YTB) White Rose Awards for Tourism, 2007. The museum is up against the Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre in Marsden, near Huddersfield, and the Merchant Adventurers' Hall in York.

This year has seen the highest number of entries to date and the high quality of tourism product across the county has made the judges' decisions extremely difficult.

On hearing the news last week Clare Hunt, operations manager at the Waterways Museum, told the Goole Times: "I am absolutely delighted that we have been chosen as a finalist for this very prestigious award, and I feel that out customer care standards and unique resources have contributed to our selection.

"This year, we really hope to win as we are the only finalist in the whole of East Yorkshire."

And last week the YTB chose to host its annual marketing conference at the Waterways Museum, where chief executive David Andrews took some time out to talk about the forthcoming awards.

"Every year, we ensure that the list of categories for the White Rose Awards is refined to be inclusive to the Yorkshire Tourism Industry and to embrace topics high on the political agenda," he said.

"The category that the Waterways Museum is entered in is one of the largest, as the awards are increasing in popularity.

"It is difficult to judge and select the winners, but it is also becoming increasingly difficult to shortlist finalists."

Judith Donovan, chairman of YTB, added: 'I think it is fantastic that the Waterways Museum has been shortlisted. Goole is not one of Yorkshire's most obvious hotspots, but the Waterways Museum ticks a lot of the boxes for the awards."

Staff at the Waterways Museum will find out if they have won a coveted White Rose Award at the Gala Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, September 11 at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, which was winner of the 2006 Enjoy England Awards for Excellence Business Tourism Award.