WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, in Gloucestershire, are delighted to have won two Gold Awards for Accessible & Inclusive Tourism and Large Visitor Attraction at the South West Tourism Awards.
The 2023/2024 South West Tourism Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday 14 March in the Great Hall of the University of Exeter.
WWT Slimbridge applied for the Bristol Bath & Somerset Awards back in 2023 and won Gold for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and Gold for the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award in December 2023. This meant that the wetland centre then went through to the South West Tourism Awards, where they claimed two further Gold Awards!
Feedback from the awards was outstanding with the marker saying;
“WWT Slimbridge is certainly an expert in the accessibility field and many other visitor attractions could learn from the initiatives that WWT Slimbridge have implemented. The visitor attraction is taking steps in advancing its facilities to improve the wellness of its visitors with some significant site redevelopments. Access is central to every decision that is made across this site, this is evident with the Changing Place Toilet and the Living Wetland Theatre - both designed with access at the core.”
This was the third year WWT Slimbridge had applied for the Bristol, Bath & Somerset Awards which then led them through to the South West Tourism Awards and they were absolutely delighted to reach the finals for the third year running. Each year the wetland centre have taken on the judge’s feedback and developed their site and accessibility offer.
Winning Gold in the Accessible and Inclusive category is a huge achievement for WWT Slimbridge as all of WWT’s wetland centres exist to fulfil founder, Sir Peter Scott’s vision of connecting people with nature, and aim for their wetlands and wildlife to be accessible to everyone. The award recognises that WWT Slimbridge provide a truly memorable visitor experience for everyone - particularly those with accessibility requirements, and demonstrate excellence across every aspect of the business. The award comes a year after the wetland centre opened a new Changing Places facility which gives visitors use of a larger accessible toilet for severely disabled people, as well as an adjustable changing bench, hoist and washbasin.
Being Gold award winners means WWT Slimbridge have the chance to go through to 2024’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, for which the wetland centre won Bronze for Accessibility in 2024.
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