RSPB The Lodge nature reserve and gardens at Sandy has been awarded a prestigious VisitEngland Welcome Award.
VisitEngland has today announced the winners of its 2018 Attractions Accolades recognising the quality of visitor experiences across England.
Following their annual assessment by VisitEngland, 76 attractions have been awarded an accolade, based on the score they obtained following their Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessment.
The attractions have been acknowledged as a result of the outstanding experiences they provide, highlighting all aspects of the visitor experience, from story-telling to food and drink and from customer service to overall winners.
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:
“England is home to world-class attractions right across the country, welcoming visitors throughout the year and offering experiences of the highest quality including excellent food and drink and outstanding customer service. It is also really fantastic to see these accolades recognising the work of those employees, managers and owners who make sure that all who pass through their doors have a truly memorable experience.”
VisitEngland’s Attractions Accolades, now in their fifth year, can be attained by members of the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme in categories including the Welcome Accolade, Hidden Gem, Best Told Story, Quality Food and Drink and the Gold Accolade for all-round top-scoring attractions.
Members of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme represent a wide range of tourism experiences across England including museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens as well as churches, cathedrals and country parks. They are supported by a network of highly trained assessors who advise on improving and promoting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of their offer.
Tourism is worth an estimated £127 billion to the UK economy annually, creating jobs and boosting economic growth.
Mark Brandon, Visitor Experience Manager at RSPB The Lodge commented;
“Naturally we are delighted to have been awarded this Welcome Accolade by VisitEngland, which is testament to the friendly team of knowledgeable staff and volunteers that work here on the reserve. The small team make this site special, not only for the thousands of annual visitors, but for the birds and wildlife that are attracted to the heathland and woodland habitats of The Lodge.”
See the full list of attractions receiving accolades (PDF, 260MB).
Find out more about the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality scheme.
Hi Thomo, The RSPB looked at the potential of a café here several year's ago and for several reasons; car parking capacity, grade 2 listed buildings, cost and funding etc) the café wasn't given a go ahead. It's great to receive this award for the reserve team despite this! There are also a plenty of visitors and families who come who enjoy bringing a picnic or buying a coffee and fresh sandwich from the shop, who tell us not to open a café on site as it will spoil the nature reserve!
Hi Thomo,
Well I suppose it’s good to get an award. But what about having a Cafe like they do at a number of RSPB reserves such as Minsmere, Saltholme, Leighton Moss, etc. I’ve comented about this situation at The Lodge before as I find it very strange that there is no cafe as The Lodge is the headquarters of the RSPB. Also one of the criticism of the reviews of RSPB reserve The Lodge on TripAdvisor is that there is no cafe paricularly just like my thoughts are that other reviewers on TripAdvisor find it strange as well that The RSPB The Lodge as the RSPB headquarters doesn't have a cafe as some other RSPB reserves do. And I’ve never been given a clear answer by RSPB staff at The Lodge the reasons behind this.