A group that showcases Southampton's history has won a prestigious accolade at this year's Beautiful South Awards for Excellence.

SEE Southampton scooped bronze in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category for making it possible for more people to explore the city's rich and diverse past.

At the same ceremony, New Place Hotel at Shirrell Heath landed gold in the Future of Hospitality category.

The award won by SEE Southampton was presented to its chairman, Nigel Philpott, and its accessibility officer, Katie Belo Dos Santos.

Daily Echo: SEE Southampton stages guided tours of the old town, which includes a former courthouseSEE Southampton stages guided tours of the old town, which includes a former courthouse (Image: Newsquest.)

Mr Philpott said: "Over the past 12 months we have produced bespoke and innovative visitor material, including a map highlighting an accessible Southampton route From Parks to Port, which is both a downloadable map and a printed foldable map.

"We offer descriptions in Word which can be read out aloud by Optical Character Recognition for the visually impaired and translated using Apps into other languages.

"Judges were impressed with how we'd developed the material using state-of-the-art technology."

READ MORE: Steamship Shieldhall and SEE Southampton win tourism awards

Katie added: "SEE Southampton have invested in a T-GuiDE CPD course and I am now fully qualified to offer a sensorial walk through the parks of Southampton.

"Feeling water from fountains on your skin, smelling the wisteria, and listening to the birds chirping away are all part of the tour.

"It's a green and sustainable walk and requires no transport. Mobility scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, and baby prams are welcomed. The walk starts and ends near bus stops, car parks, and tax ranks."

Daily Echo: SEE Southampton stages guided tours of the old town, which includes the ruins of St John's PalaceSEE Southampton stages guided tours of the old town, which includes the ruins of St John's Palace (Image: Newsquest.)

Fran Downton, chief executive of Tourism South East, said: "We could not be prouder of all our wonderful finalists at this year's Beautiful South Awards.

"They have all worked incredibly hard throughout 2023 and it is our pleasure to reward and recognise the high standard. They set our region amongst the best in the country."

SEE Southampton won silver in the Experience and Event of the Year category at the 2020 Beautiful South Awards for Excellence.

The group stages guided walks in the city centre, enabling people to visit medieval vaults and towers that are not usually accessible to the public.

It also produces weekly articles for the Daily Echo heritage pages as well as running a Facebook page and staging free talks at libraries.

Christmas-themed walks of Southampton Old Town will be staged on December 16, 17, and 23. To book a place visit www.seesouthampton.co.uk