1/1 A HISTORIC cruise ship based in Southampton has sailed away with a top award - despite being confined to port by the pandemic. The Steamship Shieldhall has been named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2020/21, staged by Tourism South East. In another boost for the city SEE Southampton Tour Guides has won silver in the Experience and Event of the Year category. And Solent Conference Centre, part of Solent University, Southampton, has taken silver in the Business Events of the Year award. Built at Renfrew, Scotland, in 1955 Shieldhall is Britain s biggest working steamship. The 66-year-old vessel is a member of the National Historic Fleet and serves as a seagoing tribute to Britain’s maritime heritage.
1/1 TWO Southampton organisations are through to the final of an event that aims to recognise the cream of the south s tourism industry. SEE Southampton and the group which operates the Steamship Shieldhall have both been shortlisted in Tourism South East s Beautiful South Awards for Excellence. SEE Southampton is one of the contenders in the Experience and Event of the Year category. It normally stages walks and talks about the city s history, including its links to Titanic, the Mayflower s historic voyage to America in 1620 and the Spitfire, but has been forced to suspend its main activities because of the pandemic. Shieldhall, which stages cruises in the Solent and Southampton Water, has been shortlisted in the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year category.