Sandford Award presented to Holdenby House

On 20th May 2021, during the first week of our release of lockdown, The Heritage Education Trust was invited to present the Education Team at Holdenby House, Northamptonshire with the 8th Sandford Award, its seventh consecutive quinquennial award, achieved in 2020 for their outstanding contribution to Heritage Education.

In attendance of this small gathering and private presentation was the Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Rufia Ashraf, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Karen and James Lowther and owners of Holdenby House, Sylvia Park and the Education Team. 

Sandford Award assessor Chris Green said of the learning programmes at Holdenby, “During my assessment in 2010 and 2015 it was a delight to share in the varied costumed interpretations of Victorian life, the evacuees’ air-raid drills during the Second World War and the social contrasts over different periods and by wealth. The first-hand experiences provided are quite splendid, engineered by remarkable staff and volunteers. 

Karen Lowther, owner of Holdenby, said of Chris’ presentation, “It meant so much to all of us and I know I speak for the entire team when I say how inspired we felt by Chris’  kind words, his presence, and the interest he takes in the educational work we do here. The team are always so busy with the day to day of delivering our school programmes that we never stop to look at the bigger picture. Hearing his words and the cumulative effect of what we have achieved here was humbling, overwhelming and truly uplifting. It was a day we will never forget.”

Sylvia Park, Education Officer at Holdenby House commented, “Over the years we have had a tremendous amount of help and advice from the Trust which has helped us to progress.”