AN exhibition that took visitors to the lost tombs of Peru has seen Warrington Museum win a top award.

Staff from the museum travelled to London after being nominated in the 2009 Museums & Heritage Awards for Excellence.

And they picked up the prize for the project on a limited budget section for the Mr Smithies and the Lost Tombs of Peru exhibition which took place last year.

Janice Hayes, museum manager said: “This win is great news for us and it really is a validation of all the hard work put in by the staff. “We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the show, especially Bolton Museum for lending us two of their Peruvian mummies.

“To be shortlisted was a major achievement and we hoped for a highly commended on the night. We were overjoyed when we were announced as the winners.”

The museum has to defeat entries from across the country including the Natural History Museum and some in Manchester and Liverpool. And this year also saw a record number of entries.

They were given their prize by BBC travel reporter Simon Calder.

The museum is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 4.30pm and on Saturday from 10am to 4pm. So why not discover the wonders of the animal kingdom by visiting the family friendly Animal Tales exhibition currently on display.