SILVER FOR CASTLE IN NATIONAL AWARDS

Ripley Castle has won a Silver Award in VisitBritain’s Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2007 in the category ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ (under 100,000 visitors). The Castle qualified for the award after winning the equivalent category in the regional ‘White Rose Awards for Tourism’, organised by the Yorkshire Tourist Board.

The Award was fiercely contested by tourist attractions from all nine of England’s regions and so making it to the final four was a massive achievement and the Castle was the only stately home to do so.

Said Sir Thomas Ingilby on receiving the award:  “It is an incredible achievement to get this national award.  It places us as the best small stately home in the country and it is still run and owned by the same family after 700 years!  Each year we try to improve the visitor experience and more developments are planned for the future.  The Award justifies all the hard work put into the attraction by the staff take and the pride they take in their work.”

The Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony at the Banqueting House in Whitehall on April 18th and were presented by Sandi Toksvig, the TV and radio presenter.