Wakefield's Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth win gold at VistEngland visitor attraction awards

Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield were named as ‘gold’ winners at the annual VisitEngland awards.

The tourist magnets were amongst 97 attractions to be recognised for the exceptional experiences they provide.

It is the second year in a row that The Hepworth has received this honour and follows after the founding and executive director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Peter Murray, was awarded a knighthood by the late Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year 2022 Honours List in recognition of his services to the arts.

Coun Michael Graham, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “This is excellent recognition for our district which offers great cultural attractions for residents and visitors to enjoy.

"I’m so proud that Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield have received this top accolade – they are fantastic places to visit.”

The award is based on the scores gained in the annual visitor attraction quality scheme assessment by England’s official tourism board.

Following Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Summer of Love events, the park has recently unveiled new and returning pieces of art by famous artists, Vanessa De Silva, Antony Gormley, Peter Randall-Page and Ro Robertson.

Helen Featherstone, deputy director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park said: “YSP is immensely proud to be awarded a gold accolade from VisitEngland for our overall visitor experience.

"We strive to bring the best to Yorkshire and that includes our visitor experience.

“We pride ourselves on quality and want to ensure that all visitors have a quality experience, creating memories at YSP.

“This award is testament to the hard work and expertise of our Visitor Engagement Team, and we are very grateful to VisitEngland for their recognition.

"It is also really pleasing to know that Wakefield is the only place with two gold accolades, with our friends at The Hepworth Wakefield also receiving this award.

"Congratulations to The Hepworth Wakefield!”

The Hepworth has been awarded a number of accolades over the years, including two major awards at the Association of Cultural Enterprises (ACE) Product Awards in 2019 and the Freelands Award in 2020.

Simon Wallis, director, The Hepworth Wakefield, added: “We are delighted to have been awarded, for the second year in a row, VisitEngland’s highest accolade for the quality of our visitor experience.

"This award is a testament to the extra mile that the whole team at The Hepworth Wakefield goes to every day to provide an exceptional, world-class experience for our visitors.

“We are equally pleased to celebrate this success alongside Yorkshire Sculpture Park, making Wakefield the only place in Yorkshire with two gold standard visitor attractions.

"We hope this encourages many more people to come and enjoy the warm and inspiring experience offered across the Wakefield district.”

Visit England introduced the awards in 2014 and categories include Welcome, Best Told Story, Quality Food and Drink, Hidden gem and Gold for overall winners.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “It’s so exciting to see our brilliant attractions providing outstanding experiences for visitors and to recognise and showcase the variety and quality across the country.

"England has unmissable visitor attractions and experiences that deliver world-class customer service.”