HMS Cavalier wins National Lottery Award!

The National Lottery Awards 2010 - Thank you for voting!

We are delighted to let you know that HMS Cavalier, our Second World War Destroyer and one of the star attractions here at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, has won a National Lottery Award, so thank you so much to all those that voted for us. The Awards are an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects, and they aim to celebrate and recognise the difference that those projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK.

After making it through to the finals, thanks to a huge amount of support, HMS Cavalier gained more public votes than two other projects in the Best Education Project category to win the national award and a £2,000 prize, thank you to all who voted to crown HMS Cavalier as the winner! This is a major achievement, not only for The Historic Dockyard Chatham and all the volunteers that have dedicated hundreds of thousands of hours restoring this ship, but also for the whole of Kent and Medway as something to be proud of.

Click here to play the wonderful film about HMS Cavalier(2 mins and 22 secs)

We appeared on the Lottery Big Night on BBC1 on Saturday 4th September - a star studdied awards evening at which the results were announced and the awards presented.

Joanne Creighton, Director of Learning and Visitor Programmes said "it is a great honour to receive this National Lottery Award on behalf of all at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The award is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the Education Team in delivering innovative schools programmes and the volunteers and ship keepers for all they have done in restoring HMS Cavalier. We also thank the National Lottery for the funding to carry out restoration work and all those who voted for HMS Cavalier in the awards".

HMS Cavalier was the Royal Navy’s last operational Second World War destroyer and until 1999, was gently rotting in a dry dock on Tyneside. The ship was acquired for preservation and display at The Historic Dockyard Chatham as the National Destroyer Memorial dedicated to the 143 British Destroyers and 11,000 sailors lost at sea during the Second World War. Now restored, HMS Cavalier is a major heritage attraction and the focus of a range of educational programmes aimed at engaging children and young people of all ages with a strong focus on under-achieving students.

HMS Cavalier wins National Lottery Award!

The National Lottery Awards 2010 - Thank you for voting!

Thank you for voting - now come to visit and see HMS Cavalier for yourself!