MALDON Museum staff are celebrating after their fighting spirit during a difficult year helped win a top award.

The museum in Promenade Park was given the Judges Special Award at the Share East of England Volunteer Awards.

Curatorial adviser Nick Wickenden had nominated the tourism attraction for the Behind the Scenes award, which the museum missed out on.

But, to the team’s surprise, they were handed the final special award which recognises the work they have done in the past year.

It comes after the museum was forced to find alternative storage when Maldon District Council decided to demolish St Cedd’s House in Princes Road, Maldon.

Christine Steel, chairman of Maldon Museum, said: “We are absolutely delighted as you can imagine. It is so wonderful our small volunteer museum has been awarded this special award.

“The awards recognise all the museums in the East of England – there are hundreds – so it means the world to us. We have had a bad year and we have coped with it.”

The museum, run by a team of volunteers, had three rooms in St Cedd’s House and had expected to be given space in the council offices.

However it has had to find alternative storage.

Maldon Museum is accredited by the Arts Council, which has strict rules on how artefacts not on display have to be stored.

Christine said the museum had felt “let down” but had now come out the other side.

She added: “We ended up with three rooms of items and no space to put them. We have got on with it and that is what I think the award is for.”