THREE tourist attract-ions in North Kesteven have each been given a prestigious award.

Cogglesford Mill and Navigation House in Sleaford and Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre in North Rauceby have all been awarded the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Standard accreditation.

They had to undergo rigorous assessment, which included mystery visits and telephone calls by Visit Britain's national assessors.

Leader of North Kesteven District Council, Cllr Marion Brighton, said: "It is wonderful that a number of North Kesteven's tourist attractions have been thought of so highly, and have been awarded this prestigious honour.

"Tourism is hugely important to the district and, hopefully, the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Standard will be a boon to our tourist trade. The fact that these venues have achieved this standard highlights the quality of tourist attractions in North Kesteven."

Denise Spearman, from Sleaford Tourist Information Centre, said the news was 'great'.

She added: "This award means anyone visiting Cogglesford Mill or the other two attractions will know these attractions have been awarded for quality.

"The award has to be applied for annually and this is a first for the mill."

VAQAS is a consumer-focused quality assessment service, run by VisitBritain, which aims to highlight the strengths of various attractions throughout Britain. Since it was launched in 2001, it has inspected over 800 tourist attractions in search of venues meeting Quality Assurance Standard.