Historic venue in Coventry claims top prize for making history more accessible

Coventry’s heritage attraction St Mary’s Guildhall has won a major industry award for accessible and inclusive tourism.

The historic city centre attraction, which is managed by No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM), has won the Gold award for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism at the West Midlands Tourism awards.

The ceremony, which took place at Grand Station in Wolverhampton, celebrated the best of the region’s tourism and leisure industry, including its top visitor attractions, hotels and experiences, as well as highlighting sustainability and resilience throughout the sector.

The award for best Accessible and Inclusive Attraction recognised organisations who went the extra mile to create accessible and inclusive visitor experiences for all.

Coventry City Council led the full restoration and refurbishment of St Mary’s Guildhall which included step-free access and lifts to key areas – including the Medieval Kitchen and Great Hall which houses the Coventry Tapestry.

Now a thriving visitor attraction, NOHM also ensured access to the interpretation of the historic attraction is supported by a digital tour, which includes 360-degree photo tour and zoomable details to ensure that people unable to physically access the rooms can still engage with hundreds of years of Coventry history. This inclusive approach to interpretation was brought to life by heritage interpretation specialist, Imagemakers. All spoken elements on the welcome video and tablet tours are also captioned, and each tablet comes with the ability to use headphones and raise and lower the volume.

The Guildhall’s education and community engagement programmes are designed to ensure that the Guildhall is a welcoming space for all, particularly those who have traditionally be underserved by heritage sites. The programme works with local community groups and organisations to ensure that it is co-created with the intended audience to widen participation.

The venue also offers free access to carers, as well as a range of schemes and bursaries to help those from low-income households or with additional needs to make use of the venue.

Niamh Carton Community Engagement Manager at St Mary’s Guildhall said “from the beginning of the restoration of the Guildhall access and inclusion has been kept at the core of what we do. We have continued to keep this as one of our core values, from the installation of lifts where possible, to our digital tablet tours and our community engagement programme that has been designed to welcome everyone to St Mary’s, and to keep it at the heart of the community. We are so excited and honoured to have been recognised for this and we are looking forward to keeping this at the forefront of what we do.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said, “When we set out to restore the wonderful Guildhall, one of the very best in the country, we knew we wanted to make sure that as many people as possible could learn about its history and its place in history. Buildings like St Mary’s Guildhall need to be alive with people – its also the best way of protecting them for future generations to enjoy – and I know the team is continuing to work hard to put on events and activities that will appeal to a wide audience.”

St Mary’s Guildhall’s community engagement programme is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.

The recent major package of restoration and refurbishment at St Mary’s Guildhall has been made possible through the Cultural Capital Investment Fund resourced by Coventry City Council, Arts Council England, and the Government’s Getting Britain Building Fund through Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

Further information about St Mary’s Guildhall and it’s range of activities can be found at www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk.