BROOKLANDS Museum has been recognised as one of the region’s top tourist attractions, having been announced as a finalist in the Beautiful South Awards.

The museum has been nominated for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in the awards organised by Tourism South East. The category is for venues with more than 75,000 visitors per year that provide a memorable visitor experience and can demonstrate excellence across every aspect of the business, including high standards of visitor assurance shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The local gardens of RHS Wisley, along with Bletchley Park – once the top-secret home of Second World War code-breakers – are among other finalists in the category.

“We are thrilled to be a finalist for this award,” said Tamalie Newbery, director and CEO of Brooklands Museum Trust.

“Bringing the history of Brooklands to life is a team effort involving staff and hundreds of volunteers. Every day, they make sure visitors enjoy themselves and are inspired by the amazing accomplishments of the men and women of Brooklands, whose pioneering activity changed our world.

“Being a finalist for this award is a testament to the whole team and we hope it encourages even more people to come and experience Brooklands for themselves.”

The regional awards programme celebrates the tourism industry in Southeast England, with winners progressing to the VisitEngland Tourism Excellence Awards this summer.

The winner will be presented with their award in April.

Brooklands Museum staged a wide range of fun activities during last week’s half term, from vintage car rides around the original banked race track to free drop-in workshops, including creating a straw-propelled paper aeroplane inspired by aviation innovators Tommy Sopwith and Hilda Hewlett.

There was also a new Museum Trail, challenging entrants to solve clues, de-code cryptic messages and seek hidden artefacts across the Brooklands site.