REME Museum is flying the flag for Wiltshire as the only visitor attraction in the county to be awarded gold by VisitEngland this year.

The accolades are designed to celebrate excellent visitor attractions in England that go the extra mile to provide a high-quality day out.

The military museum in Lyneham is not only the only attraction to receive the award this year, but it is one of only eight in the south west.

“This accolade is a testament to the high standards achieved, which our assessor felt were truly deserving of recognition,” said a spokesperson for VisitEngland.

Since 2018, REME Museum has received four VisitEngland Hidden Gem awards, but this is the first time the museum has ever won the Gold award, reserved for the very best attractions.

“Being awarded the Gold Accolade this year demonstrates the hard work put in by our entire team of staff and volunteers, helping to improve our museum year-on-year and ultimately produce the highest standards of visitor experience,” said a spokesperson for REME.

Museum director Major Rick Henderson added: “The whole REME Museum team have been committed to improving the visitor experience year on year. This award makes all the effort worthwhile.

“Rest assured we will not be resting on our laurels but looking to implement further additions to enhance the experience for next year.”

The REME Museum, located just outside MOD Lyneham in Wiltshire, is celebrating its 81st birthday this month.

The museum exists to tell the story of the Corps of The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the Second World War, and the collection has items dating from this period up to modern operations including Iraq and Afghanistan.

It features modern, interactive displays from rare World War Two vehicles to a tiny toothbrush made by a REME prisoner of war.

Since moving to Lyneham in 2018, the museum has become a firm community favourite, hosting a number of popular events including an annual Sci-Fi festival and model making event.

Although sci-fi may seem a bit out of their reach, the museum explained that:

"A lot of sci-fi is based on history and technology, two things we have a lot of in the Museum. Plus, it’s a fun way of fundraising!"

The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and the trusted tourism website VisitEngland could not recommend it enough.