Double success at county awards

Two popular but very different visitor attractions are celebrating success at the Lincolnshire Heritage Forum Awards.
Chris Page from the Dogdyke Pumping Station with the heritage award EMN-161123-113404001Chris Page from the Dogdyke Pumping Station with the heritage award EMN-161123-113404001
Chris Page from the Dogdyke Pumping Station with the heritage award EMN-161123-113404001

The Dogyke Pumping Station,near Tattershall, and the Cottage Museum in Woodhall Spa saw off strong competition to win prestigious gongs.

The Pumping Station was presented with the Museum of Excellence Award, while the Cottage Museum received accolades in two categories - Unsung Hero and A project featuring significant volunteer involvement.

Judges were full of praise for both venues.

Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001
Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001
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They said Dogdyke provided visitors with an informative and fun experience centred around one of the oldest steam-driven scoop wheel pumping sets in the country.

During the station’s Open Days, the engines run from 1.30-4.30pm.

In addition to the two pumping sets, there is also the old boiler to see, plus a small display and museum in the old engineman’s house.

Chris Page, Publicity Officer for Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust, said: “We couldn’t be more excited about winning one of this year’s Lincolnshire Heritage Forum awards.

The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001
The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001
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“We were up against some fantastic competition, so this is a huge accomplishment for the station.

“Our team of volunteers works tirelessly to create a welcoming atmosphere for all of our visitors, so this award is a true testament to all of the hard work put in by these dedicated individuals who are all quite amazing.”

At the Cottage Museum, Ken Mair - known as the ‘Quiet Scotsman’ - was nominated for Unsung Hero.

Apart from keeping a watchful eye on the museum site and its maintenance, Ken has been instrumental in helping providing useful additional amenities.

Unsung hero from the Cottage Museum EMN-161123-113343001Unsung hero from the Cottage Museum EMN-161123-113343001
Unsung hero from the Cottage Museum EMN-161123-113343001
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Up against strong opposition, Ken gained second position, earning a trophy, a certificate and £50 for the museum.

For the project with significant volunteer involvement, the museum nominated Colin Skinner for the restoration work on the delivery bicycle and bath chair that was unveiled in June.

With 12 projects short-listed, the standard proved very high and Colin was awarded a finalist’s certificate.

Over 100 key members of the county’s heritage community gathered at the awards which were held at The Collection in Lincoln.

Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001
Cottage Museum volunteers EMN-161123-113325001
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They were created to celebrate the fantastic work done by museums, heritage sites and their staff members across the county.

Jackie Goodall, team leader for the ceremony, said: “The event went superbly well. It’s not often you get such an amazing group of heritage professionals together in one place so there was a lot of catching up.”

and information sharing happening throughout the night.

“The purpose of these bi-annual awards is to recognise all of Lincolnshire’s hard-working heritage workers, most of whom are volunteers that spend countless hours helping to run and promote their respective sites. It’s because of their effort and dedication that we have such a diverse array of fun and interesting heritage destinations spread throughout the county that people from across the region, and country, can enjoy.”

Among the other winners were Lincoln Castle, St John The Divine Church Southrey, Sleaford Museum and a volunteer from Heritage Lincolnshire.

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This year’s awards were judged by David Start, Retired CEO of Heritage Lincolnshire; Catherine Wilson OBE, Retired Director of Norfolk Museum Service; Anita Holinshead, Freelance Museum and Heritage Services; and Neville Stankley, Principal Lecturer at the Centre for Public History, Museum and Heritage Management. They were also assisted by Liz Bates from Heritage Lincolnshire.

The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001
The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa EMN-161123-111207001

The Lincolnshire Heritage Forum exists to support, develop and promote museums and heritage attractions in the county through meetings, training opportunities, networking, skills sharing and joint projects and promotional activities. The Forum, like many of its member sites, is run by a voluntary committee elected each year by the organisation’s wider membership.

For more information about Lincolnshire Heritage Forum, visit www.lincsheritageforum.org.uk.

This year The Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum entered two categories for this year’s Awards

promoted by the Lincolnshire Heritage Forum.

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Our "quiet Scotsman", Ken Mair, was nominated for Unsung Hero. Apart from his watchful eye on

the museum site and its maintenance, he has been instrumental in providing useful additional

amenities. Up against strong opposition, Ken gained second position earning a trophy, certificate

and £50 for the museum.

For the project with significant volunteer involvement, the museum nominated Colin Skinner for the

restoration work on the delivery bicycle and Bath Chair that was unveiled in June. With 12 projects

shortlisted the standard proved very high. Colin was awarded a finalist's certificate.

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