Greenwich swept the board at the Visit London Awards 2006 last Thursday. We won two categories and were runners up in a third.
The Visit London Awards are a celebration of the very best of London’s tourism and leisure industry. The Awards aim to recognise businesses, teams and individuals that are working to maintain and broaden London’s world class tourism offering.
What Greenwich won
Our winning attractions were:
- The Fan Museum
- Greenwich Tourist Information Centre.
Sharon Francis from the National Maritime Museum was also presented with an award.
Fan Museum
The Fan Museum picked up the award for the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year. It was described as 'one of London’s hidden gems'.
Special praise was given for the museum's
- creativity
- dedicated staff
- links with the local community.
The Fan Museum opened in 1991 and is the only museum in the world devoted entirely to every aspect of fans and fan-making. It is home to a collection of more than 3,500 predominantly antique fans from around the world, dating from the 11th century to the present day.
Tourist Information Centre
The Greenwich Tourist Information Centre received a very impressive second place in the hotly contested Tourist Information Centre of the Year category.
Based at the Cutty Sark Gardens, the centre provides a host of free information for visitors to Greenwich on subjects including:
- local attractions
- travel arrangements
- accommodation bookings.
The centre also contains internet facilities and an art gallery showcasing work of local artists, many of which can be purchased.
Customer service
Sharon Francis was the winner of the outstanding customer service category. She is a gallery assistant at the National Maritime Museum and was singled out for her exceptional understanding of the needs of young people, particularly disabled young people. She was also praised for her tireless energy, enthusiasm and commitment which has helped to improve access to the museum for a wider audience.
'Tremendous achievement'
Deputy leader Pete Brooks, Cabinet member for Regeneration, said: "It’s a tremendous achievement for both the Greenwich TIC and the Fan Museum to be commended from such tough competition.
"It underlines why Greenwich is considered one of London’s key attractions, and demonstrates that the investment and hard work put in to the development of Greenwich is worthwhile.
"Sharon Francis also deserves huge congratulations for her award. Her dedication and enthusiasm for her job are a fine example to all."
Find out more about attractions in Greenwich.
24 November 2006