Coventry Cathedral has scooped 'Best Historic Attraction or Venue' in this year's Group Leisure & Travel Awards.

The cathedral was competing with the likes of Alnwick Castle, Belvoir Castle, Blenheim Palace, Bletchley Park and Buckingham Palace, who won the category last year.  

Despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, this year's Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony went ahead with a special online broadcast to recognise the top attractions, tour operators and experiences as voted for by group travel organisers.  

The Cathedral's Head of Tourism and Engagement Carla Crawley said: 

"Winning this award against such strong competition would always have been an amazing honour, but winning it at a time which is so unusual and tricky for the tourism industry as a whole makes it feel even more special. 

"This award is a testament not only to the hard work of our customer facing Welcome Team, but also those who work tirelessly behind the scenes across the organisation - staff and volunteers. Everyone works together keep the Cathedral at its best for our visitors. 

"We are incredibly thankful and look forward to welcoming more visitors in the coming months so we can show you just why we're an award winning Cathedral!"

A total of 20 awards were up for grabs and there were 116 finalists.

The annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards recognise the best providers, attractions and destinations for groups, as voted for by readers of Group Leisure & Travel.