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THE BEATLES STORY WINS GOLD AT PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL VISIT ENGLAND AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
PORT SUNLIGHT VILLAGE TRUST LAUNCHES NEW STRATEGY WITH BOLD VISION
Port Sunlight Village Trust( PSVT) has unveiled its new three-year strategy, outlining an ambitious roadmap for the future of one of the UK’ s most iconic heritage sites and communities.
The Beatles Story is proud to announce that it was awarded GOLD in the International Tourism Award category at the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 ceremony.
The ceremony, held at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, celebrated the very best of England’ s tourism industry. This national recognition follows The Beatles Story’ s earlier success at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards, where it won in the same category earlier this year.
This award recognises attractions that deliver outstanding service to international visitors. Twenty-one local competitions across England submitted over 350 applications for national judging, making this a highly competitive process.
The Beatles Story has remained a leading international attraction for 35 years, continuing to welcome visitors from across the globe and supporting Liverpool’ s cultural heritage.
Tourism is one of England’ s largest, most valuable industries, supporting more than 200,000 businesses, employing 2.6 million people and generating about £ 76 billion in domestic visitor spending.
Mary Chadwick, General Manager at The Beatles Story, said:“ We’ re absolutely delighted to receive this national recognition from VisitEngland. This award is a testament to our team’ s hard work, the dedication of our community of global ambassadors, and our commitment to delivering an unforgettable experience for visitors from all around the globe. As we mark 35 years of The Beatles Story, we’ re proud to continue sharing Liverpool’ s unique musical legacy on a global stage.”
For more information about The Beatles Story, visit www. beatlesstory. com.
Rooted in a mission to keep the 19th century‘ model village’ relevant, PSVT is committing to work with residents and partners to care for Port Sunlight’ s historic buildings, landscapes, and stories while creating an inclusive, vibrant place to live, work, and visit. Last year, the independent charity celebrated 25 years since it was established to take over stewardship of Port Sunlight from global company Unilever, who still have a significant home in the village where its original Lever Brothers soap factory was built.
Building on the organisation’ s successes in recent years, PSVT will deliver a bold range of projects focused on embedding the resident engagement strategy, building environmental resilience, developing new audiences, growing partnerships, and championing sustainable commercial development. One of these projects is a £ 1.5 million programme to improve the energy efficiency of its nearly 300 Grade II listed residential properties, which has involved commissioning one of the largest commercial secondary glazing installation programmes in the country.
Paul Harris, CEO of PSVT, explains:“ At the heart of our new plan is a deep respect for Port Sunlight’ s past, but an even greater commitment to its future. We are evolving our role from preservation alone to dynamic stewardship— ensuring Port Sunlight remains environmentally conscious, socially vibrant, and economically resilient. Our 2025 – 28 Strategic Plan recognises that the world around us is changing constantly, and so both Port Sunlight and our charity must evolve and adapt with it. We’ re excited to be leading Port Sunlight into a sustainable and inclusive future."
Elsewhere as part of the new strategy, plans are underway across the village’ s 130 acres of landscaped spaces to revitalise underused garage sites, enhance public amenities, and to sympathetically restore and protect the village’ s Grade II listed Boating Pond. The village’ s empty or underused historic buildings, such as the Stables, are also being brought to life for new commercial uses, including monthly markets and a new independent café, bringing benefits to both residents and visitors.
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