THE team behind the campaign to promote the arrival of the Mallard at the National Railway Museum has scooped a national award.

The museum's communications team won the Low Budget Campaign award at the CIPR Excellence Awards for its work on Mallard 75.

Judges of the award, which recognises the best use of a budget of less than £10,000, said the Mallard 75 campaign was "executed in a determined, well-thought through manner demonstrating huge energy, passion and lateral thinking".

They said: "Legacy is lasting for the business and was beyond their own expectations, as they discovered new audiences and demographic. Impressive budget control. Tiny team, huge impact."

Catherine Farrell, senior press officer at the National Railway Museum who headed up the Mallard 75 campaign said: "We are so pleased to have won this industry award against such incredibly strong competition.

"It is testament to the hard work and tenacity of our small communications team here and we are so chuffed that our efforts have been officially recognised.

"It’s been an amazing year for the National Railway Museum, with our increase in visitors at both our Shildon and York sites mainly due to the staggering success of the Mallard 75 season and the publicity campaign surrounding it."

The award is the lasted in a line of accolades for the National Railway Museum.

The Mallard 75 season of events has also won the John Coiley Award 2013, and the Herbert Crow Memorial Award.

Hornby and the National Railway Museum won the Arts and Business Sponsorship Awards 2014, and Mallard 75 won Visitor Experience of the Year at the Visit York Tourism Awards and is shortlisted for Tourism Event of the Year for the White Rose Awards.

The Heritage Railway Association is awarding the museum its Peter Manisty award for ‘the world class Mallard 75 events inspiring and enhancing widespread interest in our railway heritage” at a ceremony at 12pm today.