A WIMBORNE museum has received a gold award.

The Museum of East Dorset won the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year gold trophy at the 10th Dorset Tourism Awards.

Staff and trustees from the museum joined a host of prestigious businesses and charitable organisations for a glittering awards ceremony on January 26 at the Tank Museum.

Successful businesses in the Dorset Awards, including the museum, will now be fast-tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in March.

Staff at the newly-refurbished museum applied to enter the Dorset Tourism Awards last spring to get an objective report and business feedback, and to benchmark the museum against other organisations in the sector.

As part of the judging process, a mystery visitor was sent to the museum on October 25, from Quality in Tourism, an independent accreditation service and headline sponsor of the awards.

That day, there were 90 children enjoying Little Explorer activities, as well as regular visitors exploring the museum and relaxing in the Garden Tea Room.

Museum director, Chezzie Hollow, said she was thrilled to receive the award.

“Here at the Museum of East Dorset, there really is something for everyone to enjoy,” she said.

“The Gold award proves that we are not just a fantastic local museum; we are an award-winning museum with a great future.”

Sara Marshall, chair of the Priest’s House Museum Trust, which runs the museum, added: “We were delighted to receive the ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ award despite strong competition from Dorset Heavy Horse Farm and Nothe Fort. We look forward to welcoming you to the museum.”

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