Richard III: Visitor centre celebrates gold tourism award

The centre is in a converted Victorian school near the city's cathedral, where the king was reburied

A Leicester tourist attraction has received a national award for its outstanding visitor experience.

The King Richard III Visitor Centre won the Gold award from Visit England, ranking it alongside Chester Zoo and Bletchley Park.

Opened in 2014, the centre stands on the spot where the notorious king's grave was uncovered in 2012.

Managers said their teams were thrilled they could now say they deliver "a gold standard experience".

The centre, seen here in 2014, tells the story of the king and the discovery of his bones

Of the 76 attractions recognised across the country, only 27 achieved the gold award, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Other gold winners include Cadbury World in Birmingham, Bletchley Park where the Allies cracked the Enigma Code during World War Two, Chester Zoo and the Tower Bridge Exhibition in London.

Iain Gordon, general manager at the visitor centre said: "After our assessment in August, we achieved our highest-ever score of 92% and we thought things couldn't get better. We are so thrilled to receive the Gold Accolade from Visit England, it's fantastic news.

"We love sharing the incredible story of King Richard III at the Visitor Centre every day, and after a challenging year, this is a real tribute to the whole team here who work so hard to deliver what we can now call a gold standard experience."

Attractions are scored by a 'secret shopper' sent by Visit England who assesses them based on categories such as best welcome, food and drink and engaging stories.