Award nominations provide timely boost for museum

Bosses at Derby Museums has spoken of their delight after the Museum of Making was nominated for an award recognising the region’s best tourist attractions.

The museum, which tells the story of the city’s 300-year history of making and innovation, was recently named as finalist in the Visitor Attraction of the Year category by the Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards.

The award recognises visitor attractions that provide memorable visitor experiences and demonstrate excellence across every aspect of the business.

The nomination comes as the Museum of Making has been forced to temporarily close due to flood damage after the severe weather conditions of Storm Babet in late October.

The Derby Museums team said they have been overwhelmed by the messages of support, generous donations and kind offers of help received from the local community and businesses since the Museum of Making flooded.

Work is currently underway to reopen the Museum of Making as soon as possible.

As well as being nominated for Visitor Attraction of the Year, Derby Museums’ individual giving officer, Helena Smith Parucker, has been shortlisted for the Tourism Young Achiever Award.

This award recognises and celebrates young people aged 16 to 25 in the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry who demonstrate commitment to developing personal skills and knowledge in order to progress their career within the industry.

Jennifer Cuadrado, director of development at Derby Museums, said: “We’re delighted to be shortlisted as Visitor Attraction of the Year and it’s great to see Helena being recognised in the Young Achiever award for her excellent work for the museum, it’s fantastic to be able to support her early career.

“We’re proud that the Museum of Making is becoming a well-known tourist destination, attracting visitors to Derby and playing an important role in creating a vibrant tourism sector for Derbyshire.

“We wish our fellow finalists – The Children’s Country House at Sudbury and Matlock Farm Park – good luck in the final round of independent judging before the winners are announced next year.”

Organised by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, in collaboration with Visit Derby, the Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards celebrate and showcase excellence and outstanding achievement across the area’s tourism and hospitality sector.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held at the Museum of Making on 7 March.