THE Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival won gold in the Tourism Event of the Year category at the South West Tourism Awards held in Plymouth.

The South West Tourism Excellence Awards are organised by Services for Tourism to recognise organisations and businesses supporting tourism in the south west of England.

General manager of the festival Helen Keall said: “I am delighted that we have won a South West Tourism Award.

“We strive to create an annual festival that consistently produces exciting and engaging work, drawing on the finest artistic talent from the local region and internationally, and it is wonderful that we are being recognised for that achievement.

“We are excited to be working with our new festival director, Toby Smith, to deliver many more superb festivals for years to come.”