A HAMPSHIRE museum volunteer is in the running to become England’s tourism superstar for 2016.

Dr John Bevan, chairman of the Historical Diving Society, which runs the Diving Museum at Stokes Bay, Gosport, is one of just 11 people to be shortlisted for the Visit England Tourism Superstar 2016 awards.

John leads a team of 20 volunteers and plays an active role in all aspects of running the museum from sourcing exhibits, welcoming visitors, dealing with the finances through to maintaining the building.

He has led on converting a derelict Victorian Gun Battery into an international tourist venue, which identifies Gosport as the home of global diving.

These efforts have paid off handsomely; the museum recently reached the top six in the country in the Telegraph’s Family Friendly Museums awards.

John also plays a major part in the Gosport Heritage Open Days scheme, and is working towards achieving national Arts Council Accreditation and National Museum status for the venue.

As a man of many talents, John has also appeared on TV to promote public interest in diving.

He has appeared as the diving expert on Who Do You Think You Are? (Sarah Millican episode) – brilliantly describing the risks that early divers faced.

He was also the expert on Scrapheap Challenge and Flogit, and more humorously as a gynaecologist in a Hale & Pace comedy sketch, The Jacques Cousteau Underwater Maternity Unit.

To vote for John go to the Visit England website.