Below is a report of the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum Awards 2019:-
The 2019 Awards ceremony of the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum was held on a perfect summer evening at one of our most beautiful homes, Holdenby House, courtesy of James Lowther on Thursday 4 July 2019.
The award highlights include the People’s Choice, in collaboration with BBC Radio Northampton courtesy of John Griff. This year included online voting for the first time, and it was a stiff competition! The winner was volunteer run Sywell Aviation Museum, which tells the story of flying in Northamptonshire from the early days to the present day with particular emphasis on the Second World War.
The big award is ‘Heritage Organisation of the Year’. The winner was Daventry Museum, a small volunteer run museum that packs a huge punch. Judges commented on their great use of resources, and their range of exhibitions and engagement activities over the year. Their commemorative Armistice tribute, ‘The Empty Chair Project’ featuring a chair to represent each soldier from the town who failed to return from the First World War, was a simple idea, beautifully executed and incredibly moving to all who saw it.
The evening was closed by Northamptonshire Heritage Forum, Chairman, Jane Baile who reported on the campaign to keep the importance of heritage in the minds of local government during the Unitary Authorities planning.
The event was expertly compered by John Griff of BBC Radio Northampton, and was supported by a small grant from Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM), for which the Forum is most grateful.
All the Northamptonshire Heritage Award 2019 Winners are listed below.
Best Event
Highly Commended: Northampton Museums and Art Gallery (Transport Day at Abington Park Museum)
Award Winner: Roade Local History Society (Roade Cutting 180th Anniversary & National Transport Heritage Site Designation 2018)
Best Exhibition
Highly Commended: Daventry Museum (Victorian Daventry – A Period of Change)
Award Winner: Kettering Museum & Art Gallery (Local Treasures: The British Museum comes to Kettering)
Best Volunteer Project
Award Winner: Rushden Museum (Store Room Blitz!)
Best Project on a Limited Budget
Award Winner: Irchester Parish Historical Society (Irchester Parish in World War One)
Best Special Project
Highly Commended: Cogenhoe & Whiston Heritage Society (Cogenhoe Village Green Plaque Scheme)
Award Winner: Brackley Town Council (Stained Glass Window Project)
Community Award
Award winner: Daventry Museum (The Empty Chair Project)
‘Hindsight’ Award for best published work
Award Winner: Northamptonshire Battlefields Society (The Battle of Edgcote 1469 – Re-evaluating the evidence)
People’s Choice (with BBC Radio Northampton)
Award Winner: Sywell Aviation Museum
Judges Choice Special Award: Desborough Heritage Centre
Heritage Organisation of the Year 2019
Award Winner: Daventry Museum
Winners and dignitaries at Holdenby House