WHISTLES will be tooting in celebration at the Severn Valley Railway following news that the attraction has been named the nation’s best-loved heritage site in a national awards scheme.

Thousands of people registered their vote for the Railway, which scooped the Heritage Site of the Year title in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2014/15, announced this morning (Tuesday, March 3).

The much-loved Midlands attraction beat-off stiff competition from some of the UK’s biggest tourists sites including London’s Imperial War Museum.

Clare Gibbard, SVR’ marketing and communications manager, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news – we are all over the moon.

“Everyone at the Railway, from our staff and volunteers, to our apprentices and dedicated fundraisers in the SVR Charitable Trust are committed to not only protecting the future of this valuable heritage site, but also to making it an enjoyable and memorable place for people to visit, so for so many of the British public to vote for us, in the face of some very tough competition is a wonderful recognition of this hard work and we are extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to vote for us.

“News of this award is very timely, this being our Golden Jubilee year, so this will really add the cherry on top of our celebratory anniversary cake – I think there may well be some added tooting of whistles as the trains head out along the line this weekend.”

The annual awards celebrate the best of the British countryside, with the heritage site category shortlist compiled by television presenter, Jules Hudson, widely recognised as the face of many BBC lifestyle and history series including ‘Escape to the Country’ and ‘Countryfile’.

A life-long history lover, he praised the SVR’s Heritage Skills Training Academy, one of a range of projects funded by the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust. He said that travelling by steam train is a wonderful way to see the spectacular surrounding countryside.