Belfast’s SS Nomadic has been shortlisted for the Association for Heritage Interpretation’s (AHI) 2015 Discover Heritage Awards.

The last remaining White Star Line vessel in the world is the only attraction from Northern Ireland shortlisted for the national awards which mark excellence in cultural and natural heritage interpretation in Britain and Ireland.

The SS Nomadic was submitted by Tandem, Holywood, who developed all aspects of the interpretation scheme from concept to delivery, which included narrative, artefact and image research through to design elements, art direction of AV and management of the fit-out.

It beat off stiff competition from a record number of entries to become one of the three shortlisted for the prestigious museums and historic properties or sites award.
The SS Nomadic and the work carried out by Tandem was chosen by a team of interpretation experts from around the UK and Ireland and will be visited anonymously over the summer by AHI site judges, with the final announcement being made at the gala award ceremony in Newbury in November.

Bill Bevan, AHI Vice-Chair said “The number and quality of entrants into the AHI 2015 Discover Heritage Awards made short-listing an exceptionally tough process. The shortlist represents some of the best recent heritage interpretation projects in Britain and Ireland. We are delighted that the shortlist ranges from small to large projects. It is an international badge of excellence whether a site wins, or is shortlisted or commended in one of the categories.”

Andrew Todd, Director of Tandem said: “We are delighted that SS Nomadic has been recognised as one of the leading projects for interpretation. It was an extremely important project for us at Tandem to work on, helping to preserve and interpret a significant part of our local heritage, which has international reach and significance. Our interpretive approach was developed with the visitor in mind to create an engaging, immersive experience, and we are thrilled that it has been so enthusiastically received.”

Kerrie Sweeney, CEO of Titanic Foundation Limited, the heritage trust who recently acquired SS Nomadic, commented, “SS Nomadic is one of our most unique, authentic assets and the experience it offers to locals and visitors contributes significantly to the success of Titanic Quarter as a leading maritime heritage destination. Being shortlisted for the Discover Heritage Awards further endorses the quality of what we offer here and we would encourage everyone to come and experience SS Nomadic and Titanic Quarter for themselves.”

The SS Nomadic brings the ship’s rich history to life from a tender to the RMS Titanic and many other luxury liners, transporting passengers such as Elizabeth Taylor and Charlie Chaplin to serving in both World War I and II.

The operation of the SS Nomadic was recently taken over by Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor attraction. It is open to the public with a full programme of events – for more information visit www.nomadicbelfast.com.

For information on SS Nomadic please contact:
Sarah Hamilton-Cardy, PR and Communications Executive, Titanic Belfast
Tel: +44 (0)28 9076 6380
E: sarahhamiltoncardy@titanicbelfast.com
W: www.titanicbelfast.com
T: @titanicbelfast  FB: www.facebook.com/titanicbelfast

About the SS Nomadic

The SS Nomadic is most famous for the part she played in the Titanic story, but this was only the beginning of her extraordinary journey that stretches over 100 years. Restored to her original 1911 glory and back home in Belfast, a visit to SS Nomadic & Hamilton Dock combines the authentic heritage and atmosphere of this historic ship with the intriguing stories of her passengers and the ups and downs of her dramatic career.

About Titanic Foundation Limited
Titanic Foundation Limited (TFL) is a registered charity, set up to educate the public on Belfast’s industrial and maritime heritage, past, present and future.  Titanic Foundation’s ambition is to create a dynamic maritime destination where preservation of heritage complements regeneration and where public realm, events and amenities attract, engage and connects everyone in Belfast to Titanic’s narrative – human endeavour, pride, inspiration and innovation.  To date TFL has delivered Titanic Belfast and is currently progressing the restoration of the former Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Headquarters Building as a heritage centre and boutique hotel.  As part of Titanic Foundation’s remit to protect and promote the maritime and industrial heritage of Belfast we have taken on ownership of the SS Nomadic from April 2015. www.titanic-foundation.org

Funders

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife, we use National Lottery players’ money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about. www.hlf.org.uk.

About Tourism NI
Tourism NI is responsible for the development of tourism and the marketing of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to domestic tourists, from within Northern Ireland, and to visitors from the Republic of Ireland.  It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and works closely with other tourism bodies to help develop the visitor economy here and to market Northern Ireland to incoming visitors.  Tourism NI has provided funding (through its Tourism Development Scheme) to restore the SS Nomadic as a local amenity and tourist attraction. www.tourismni.com

About Department for Social Development
The Department for Social Development purchased the SS Nomadic in January 2006 at auction in Paris. They subsequently established the Nomadic Charitable Trust to help raise funds and to oversee the restoration. They formally transferred ownership of the ship to the Nomadic Charitable Trust in 2011 when they were satisfied all the funding had been put in place to achieve a successful restoration.

About Nomadic Charitable Trust
Nomadic Charitable Trust, is a registered charity, was established in 2006 to restore the SS Nomadic and to make her accessible to the public, to ensure she can play a key role in the on-going celebration of the Titanic, ensure a lasting legacy to celebrate our maritime and industrial heritage.