In News

The Roman Baths and Pump Room has been shortlisted for two awards at the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards: Accessible and Inclusive Tourism and Wedding Venue of the Year.

The winners will be announced on Thursday 23 March at a ceremony at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for these two prestigious awards. The Roman Baths is one of the finest ancient sites in Northern Europe, and it is wonderful to see this recognition on a regional and national level. 2022 was a fantastic year for the Roman Baths, when we were ranked 1st in Britain and 8th world-wide in Tripadvisor’s ‘Best of the Best Things to Do,’ and at the Bath, Bristol and Somerset Tourism Awards, won the Gold Award for Wedding Venue of the Year and Bronze for both the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year Award and the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award. 

The Roman Baths and Pump Room prides itself as being as accessible as possible to Disabled visitors, and ninety percent of the historic site is accessible to wheelchair users. Deaf people, people with disabling hearing loss, blind people and people with sight loss can enjoy the site using the British Sign Language or audio descriptive tour and tactile models. Information is also provided for autistic visitors and visitors experiencing potential claustrophobia. The Roman Baths also offers evening openings throughout the year to Neurodiverse visitors wanting a quieter experience; in 2022 these quiet evenings were enjoyed by 130 visitors. The museum is also working with the Stroke Association to provide training sessions to staff to become a Stroke Friendly Museum.

As a wedding venue, The Roman Baths and Pump Room gives couples the opportunity to celebrate their wedding in unique surroundings and exchange vows in one of the world’s greatest ancient monuments. The Council’s Heritage Services department works closely with contracted caterer Searcys to deliver events for a wide range of customers, with a strong focus on local sourcing and sustainability.

Winners from the South West awards will be selected to represent the region in the national VisitEngland Awards.

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