Northamptonshire Renaissance Heritage Awards 2008

2008 Awards

The 2008 Northamptonshire Renaissance Heritage Awards have now closed. The awards will be presented at a ceremony at Sulgrave Manor House on 25 September. The awards include awards for history societies specifically and categories for museums including: 

• Best Exhibition
• Best Event
• Inspiration Award for Best Special Project
• Caring for Collections 
• People's Choice 
• Museum of the Year

2007 Awards and winners

The 2007 Northamptonshire Renaissance Heritage Awards ceremony was held at a sun-soaked Kelmarsh Hall on Wednesday 18 July.

The panel of three judges - Cllr Judy Shephard, deputy chairman of Northamptonshire County Council, Dr Garry Campion of Northampton University and Kerry Vobe, a member of the Northamptonshire Youth Forum - visited the museums and heritage groups during June to adjudicate the winners. All the judges were delighted and inspired by the visits and were keen to visit again, and all said how difficult it was to select winners from such excellent entries.

The People's Choice Award was a special award, run in partnership with BBC Radio Northampton and supported by Northamptonshire County Council. Museums entered the award by running an event for Museums and Galleries Month (May) and throughout June members of the public were encouraged to vote for their favourite through coverage on the afternoon show with Kevin Fernihough. More than 600 votes were received.

Northampton North MP, Brian Binley, was due to present the awards, but unfortunately was delayed in London and could not make it.  Cllr Ursula Jones, portfolio holder for Heritage at Northamptonshire County Council, took his role and opened the gold envelopes, and Mr Binley sent a message of support:

"I am sorry that I cannot be with you tonight to share in the Heritage Awards and to meet some fantastic people and celebrate their achievements.

"Northamptonshire has a long and rich history and I recently had the privilege of holding one of my advice centres in Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. Being the latest in a long line of Binleys to have worked in a shoe factory, I was fascinated by the displays and I hope to use some of the time I have in Parliament to reconnect people with their town and heritage. Directing them to their local museum is a great start.

"Let me wish everyone at the Awards ceremony my very best wishes for an enjoyable evening in a wonderful setting and once again my apologies that I am unable to be there with you in person."

And the winners are ...

Best event
Highly commended: Manor House Museum, Kettering, for 'World History Fayre'
Winner: Northampton and Lamport Railway for 'Railway at War'

Best exhibition
Highly commended: Northampton Museum and Art Gallery for 'Old Treasures, New Voices'
Highly commended: Oundle Museum for 'Set in Stone'
Winner: Sywell Aviation Museum for 'A Wartime Kitchen'

Inspiration Award
Highly commended: Rushden Museum for 'the first year'
Joint winner: Manor House Museum, Kettering for 'Rights and Responsibilities' loan box
Joint winner: Northampton Museum and Art Gallery for 'Making It'

Museum of the Year
Sywell Aviation Museum

Judges' Special Award
Rushden Museum

People's Choice Award
Runner-up: Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
Runner-up: Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
Winner: Manor House Museum, Kettering

All the winners received plaques and cheques for £100.

The Awards are part of the Renaissance Heritage Awards, recognising excellence in museums and heritage across the East Midlands. There are similar awards happening in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.