Black Country Living Museum celebrates major award with free weekend rides

The Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) has been awarded Gold for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2025 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

To mark this achievement, all daytime visitors can enjoy a free ride on their traditional fairground ride over the coming weekend.

This national honour celebrates the rich heritage, warmth, and authenticity that define both the Museum and the community it represents.

To win this award on the national stage is a powerful recognition of the Black Country’s cultural significance and the exceptional experience offered at the Museum.

At the heart of this success are the Museum’s dedicated staff and volunteers, whose passion, knowledge, and care bring our site to life every day.

In a highly competitive category, BCLM prevailed over two outstanding national finalists—Liverpool Football Club Tours & Experiences and the National Space Centre—to claim the top spot.

The awards drew over 1,800 entries from across the country, with just 52 national finalists selected following rigorous judging by tourism industry experts.

This recognition follows BCLM’s recent regional success at the VisitBirmingham & West Midlands Tourism Awards and reflects a period of sustained growth for the Museum.

This success can be attributed to many factors, including the opening of the Museum’s new 1940s–1960s town, which marks a significant step into living memory and has resonated strongly with visitors.

To help people make the most of this growing offer, the Museum’s UnChained Annual Pass provides free daytime return visits for 12 months with the purchase of a full-priced ticket—delivering great value and encouraging visitors to return throughout the year to explore more of the site as it continues to evolve.

Director and CEO Andrew Lovett OBE (pictured), who attended the ceremony, said: “It was a real privilege to represent the Museum and the Black Country at the awards ceremony.

“To take home the Gold is a proud moment for us all—and a well-earned recognition of the passion and dedication of our staff and volunteers.

“I’m thrilled we can now celebrate this with our visitors, who are such a vital part of our story.”

VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes said: “England’s tourism industry has good reason to celebrate. As the finalists demonstrate, businesses across every region provide outstanding customer service along with high quality experiences while constantly innovating to find new ways to give more to visitors and the communities they serve.