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Left to Right Geoffrey Piper NWBLT, Brenda Parkerson A&B North West, Paul Dermody, Kevin Moore, Sir Tom Finney, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Paul Lee NWBLT

Andrea Nixon, Executive Director of Tate Liverpool hands over the trophy to Kevin Moore

Gerry Sutcliffe MP with Sir Tom Finney

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Museum scoops top prize

The National Football Museum has just scooped a top award.  This year’s prestigious Lever Prize was awarded to the Museum at an exclusive ceremony hosted by last year’s winners TATE Liverpool. 

The Museum has become the fourth cultural organisation to receive the accolade. The trophy and a cheque for £20,000 were presented to National Football Museum director Kevin Moore and Paul Dermody, Chair of Trustees by Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe MP.  Former England and Preston North End player Sir Tom Finney (OBE), was in attendance to support the Museum of which he is Vice President.

The prize, launched four years ago, aims to revive the philanthropic traditions of the industrial past, embodied by soap magnate and patron of the arts Lord Lever.

The Lever prize is judged by the North West Business Leadership Team, which comprises 28 of the region's largest companies, in partnership with Culture Northwest and Arts and Business North West. Buildings, events, festivals, libraries and archives are all eligible not only for the cash prize but for a year long collaboration with the region’s top business leaders. Previous winners include Liverpool Biennial in 2006 and Manchester International Festival in 2007.

Kevin Moore said: "We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this prestigious prize and to be taking it home to Preston. The Lever Prize is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with key businesses in the North West who are members of the North West Business Leadership Team.
The Museum is built on foundations of partnership working for mutual benefit which has been critical to our success and development.  We look forward to now extending this with the region's top companies and will be working closely with NWBLT over the next twelve months to ensure we fulfill their objectives as well as our own.”

Geoffrey Piper, chief executive of the North West Business Leadership Team, said he was delighted to announce the National Football Museum as overall winner.  He said the Museum is one of the North West’s world-class cultural organisations and deserves recognition for its imagination and role in broadening museum access to all social groups. He commented
“The Museum is an outstanding winner of this annual award, presented jointly by NWBLT and Arts & Business North West, and a very worthy successor to previous winners...The Lever Prize judges were unanimous in selecting the National Football Museum who will now enjoy a year-long programme of collaboration with leading businesses throughout the region.  We look forward to working together to help raise the profile of the Museum and assist it in furthering its aims of presenting the world's most popular sport in a broad cultural, historical, social and economic context.  This promises to be a very exciting and significant year.”

Manchester-based Future Everything CIC and Tatton Park in Cheshire received runner up certificates.

• The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) brings together a group of the most influential business leaders in North West England, to address key strategic issues affecting the well-being of the region and the quality of life of its people. It operates as a not-for-profit organisation with a small office based in Warrington.