Top award for museum team
Staff from a St Albans museum have been presented with a national award for an outstanding schools programme by BBC TV presenter Lucy Worsley.
Verulamium Museum, which showcases the City’s Roman past, was given the Sandford Award for the excellence of its heritage education.
The coveted certificate was handed over by Lucy who has fronted a string of BBC documentaries and is also an acclaimed author and historian.
It was given to Eleanor Payne, the Museum’s Learning and Interpretation Officer, and Liz Gloyn, Bookings Officer.
The annual awards ceremony took place at the Fashion Museum and Assembly Rooms in Bath, Somerset.
Sandford Awards are given to historic sites, museums, galleries, archives and collections. This follows an assessment of opportunities offered to schools.
Judges visited the Museum last summer and watched as school children took part in a range of interactive lessons about the Roman era.
The awards are managed by the Heritage Education Trust in partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln.
Other winners for 2017 include the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, Jane Austen’s House Museum in Hampshire and Leeds Castle in Kent.
Councillor Annie Brewster, Sports and Culture Portfolio Holder for St Albans City and District Council, said: “The Sandford Award is a very special honour. I am delighted for our Museums team which has developed a first class heritage learning scheme for schools.
“They are already working on another exciting programme for schools that will run at the new Museum and Gallery which opens in St Albans next year. We want our children and all our visitors to learn about the amazing history of the District.”
Schools interested in the learning programmes at can contact Eleanor on eleanor.payne@stalbans.gov.uk or 01727 751821.
More information about the Sandford Awards is available at: sandfordaward.org.
Picture: (From left to right) Lucy Worsley (left) presents the award to Liz Gloyn and Eleanor Payne.
Councillors contact:
Cllr Annie Brewster, Portfolio Holder for Sport and Culture for St Albans City and District Council. Email: cllr.a.brewster@stalbans.gov.uk; Tel: 01438 832255
Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City & District Council, Tel: 01727 296130, Email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk