THE Museum of East Dorset is celebrating after scooping a tourism accolade.

The Wimborne attraction picked up a silver award for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards.

Staff representatives attended a glittering ceremony on March 23 at the Eden Project in Cornwall, where they learned of their recognition.

Judges spoke of ‘a surprising building and an even more surprising experience’ and described the museum as a ‘wonderful resource for the market town of Wimborne both for visitors and residents’.

Located in a Grade II* listed historic house opposite the Minster Church, the museum’s collections include rare and unique exhibits of local and national significance, celebrating the culture and stories of Wimborne Minster and the surrounding areas.

Sara Marshall, chair of the Priest’s House Museum Trust which runs the museum, said: “Following on from our Gold trophy at the Dorset Tourism Awards, it was marvellous to receive further recognition of the work of the museum on a regional level.”

And museum director, Chezzie Hollow, said she couldn’t stop smiling after the announcement.

“We are very proud to have won silver,” she said.

“It was the last category of the night and competition was incredibly tough: Calancombe Estate and Dartmouth Distillery, Hangloose Adventure Eden and PK Porthcurno.

“The award is testament to the combined efforts of staff, volunteers, trustees, and the many local groups and organisations who work with us and help us deliver high quality services to the East Dorset community, and real public benefit through our learning and community engagement activities.

“We look forward to welcoming you to our award-winning museum.”

For more information on the Museum of East Dorset, visit museumofeastdorset.co.uk.