Meet the Winners

Best Catering Initiative

Amgueddfa Cymru

The Vulcan Hotel, an iconic Public House originally located in Cardiff city centre, was rebuilt brick by brick at St Fagans National Museum of History, restored to its 1915 appearance, and reopened in 2024 as a fully working period pub. Using local suppliers and historic recipes, it offers a fully immersive guest experience free from visible modern equipment. Hugely popular with locals and visitors, it generated £86k net profit in its first year, all reinvested into the museum.

Best Event

Winchester Cathedral

Whales was a newly-commissioned work to highlight our relationship with oceans and whales, transforming the Cathedral into an underwater themed, multisensory exhibition using sound, scent, lighting and sculptures made from ghost nets and recovered plastics. With strong accessibility features and climate messaging, it inspired 44% of visitors to pledge environmental action. Local partnerships helped to expand programming and reach diverse and younger audiences.

Best eCommerce Initiative
sponsored by Highland Fayre

National Trust

Created in partnership with the Sylva Foundation’s Wood School, this limited edition Arts & Crafts inspired furniture range, handmade from Stourhead oak, was launched and sold out online. This innovative ecommerce model based on small-batch production, responsibly sourced materials, young makers gaining commercial experience, and a retail offer that directly supports the Trust’s mission, proves that ecommerce can play a role in education, conservation and public engagement.

Best Filming Initiative

Old Royal Naval College

In 2024-25 the Old Royal Naval College strengthened its status as the UK’s top heritage filming location, delivering record-breaking success with major productions such as Family Plan 2 and Close Personal Friends. This period also marked 100 years since the first film shoot at ORNC, celebrated with a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as screen characters, reinforcing ORNC’s cultural legacy and global profile, with themed tours and national media coverage.

Best Licensing Initiative

National Museum of the Royal Navy

The National Museum of the Royal Navy partnered with John Rigby & Co, one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious gunmakers, to create a limited edition rifle using oak reclaimed from HMS Victory, forming the centrepiece of Rigby’s 250th anniversary. Generating £250k in licensing revenue and £40k in event income, it attracted global collectors and laid the groundwork for NMRN’s Heritage Squared strategy, establishing a transformative model for luxury heritage licensing.

Best Product
sponsored by Great British Jigsaws

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

The Grown at Kew collection is a range of handcrafted homewares created using waste timber from felled trees in Kew’s world-famous arboretum. Each unique piece carries the legacy of Kew’s historic landscape, offering a rare opportunity to own a piece of botanical history. From butter knives to bowls, each individual item has been expertly crafted using traditional woodworking methods and carries a hallmark traceable back to the original tree and even the seed from which it grew.

Best Publication

National Portrait Gallery

Published by the National Portrait Gallery, in collaboration with the British Library, Writers Revealed celebrates over 70 influential figures in English literature, pairing manuscripts, letters and first editions from the British Library with iconic portraits from the National Portrait Gallery. The book reflects the two institutions’ shared values of accessibility, scholarship and public engagement. Its unique design, modern appeal and broad reach have led to high-profile media coverage and exceptional commercial results.

Best Shop
sponsored by Colour Heroes

Amgueddfa Cymru

The shop at Big Pit National Coal Museum underwent a six-month redevelopment as a trial project to find ways to increase Amgueddfa Cymru brand standards and consistency whilst still representing the unique identity of each museum in the group. The redevelopment included creating 200+ bespoke products representing Big Pit’s stories and collections, as well as an immersive soundscape, a redesigned shop space using original collections and upcycling items from the former mine, and improved signage/messaging.

Best Ticketing Initiative

Queer Britain Museum

With a need to diversify income streams, Queer Britain introduced a Pay What You Can donation for admission policy in January 2025, with a recommended donation of £10 but all visitors invited to ‘select an amount they are comfortable with’ using onsite contactless donation boxes. There is also an option to prebook a visit online with both £10 and ‘pay what you can’ ticket options. This initiative has tripled both the number of visitors that make a donation as well as the annual income generated.

Best Venue Hire Initiative

National Space Centre

The National Space Centre’s Venue Hire team achieved record results in 2024–25 by innovating, diversifying and staying aligned with the mission to inspire future space scientists. New offers such as Cosmic Events and the Tetrastar Spaceport broadened audiences, boosted quieter months and enhanced flexibility. With £1.2m turnover in 2024 and £1.3m projected for 2025, the team now contributes 20% of the charity’s income, strengthening the National Space Centre’s long‑term resilience and impact.

Best Visitor Experience
sponsored by Make It Playful

Japan House London

Japan House’s Visitor Experience team is at very the heart of its mission to increase awareness of Japanese culture, foster partnerships between the peoples of Japan and the UK and create future sustainability. Guests are invited to explore, interact with, and immerse themselves in Japan’s rich and diverse cultures through a programme of events and exhibitions, offering proactive engagement and touchpoints enabling visitors to deepen and broaden their knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture.

Marketing Campaign of the Year
sponsored by LOOP by Semantic

Chichester Cathedral

Chichester950 was a year‑long campaign celebrating the Cathedral’s 950th anniversary through exhibitions, concerts, community projects and major city partnerships. Boosting engagement, fundraising and national profile, it delivered standout moments including a sold‑out Bernstein concert and TrinityFest. The Luxmuralis light show raised around £150k, family events involved 1,500 children, and £950k match funding was secured. By November 2025 it had reached 200k people and 1.8 million digital views.

Rising Star

Matthew Roland-Whipps
Buyer & Merchandiser
National Theatre

Matt joined the National Theatre in 2022 as a Customer Services Assistant, quickly standing out through his talent for stock control and sales. After progressing to Supervisor & Tour Guide, he became Buying & Admin Assistant in 2024, rapidly developing strong merchandising and forecasting skills. His creativity, theatre background and design flair have driven standout products and financial success, earning him further promotion. A true rising star with exceptional potential.

Sector Support Partnership of the Year

Cinchio and Attractions.io

Chester Zoo’s 2025 digital transformation in partnership with Cinchio and Attractions.io has revolutionised its food and beverage experience. A seamless app and real time kitchen system cut queues, boosted efficiency and enabled personalised offers. Results were striking: a 52% rise in transaction value, 49% F&B revenue uplift, 91% positive feedback, a 4.8‑star app rating and strong marketing opt‑ins, making the platform a major driver of revenue and satisfaction.

Team of the Year

Amgueddfa Cymru

In December 2023 Amgueddfa Cymru’s Enterprises team faced a severe 10.5% funding cut for 2024/25, forcing major restructuring while still needing to maintain — or increase — profits. Their response was exceptional: resilient, united and commercially astute. They streamlined operations across seven sites, protected all activity and achieved six financial records in one year. Their outstanding performance under intense pressure makes them a worthy winner of Team of the Year.