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GreenWood Family Park leads nominations in UK Theme Park Awards

GreenWood Family Park leads nominations in UK Theme Park Awards

We’re celebrating a treble award shortlisting at the prestigious UK Theme Park Awards!

GreenWood Family Park, which boasts the UK’s only people-powered rollercoaster, is facing off against some of the UK’s most famous theme parks to be named as the nation’s most sustainable.

It is going head-to-head with the operator of attractions like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, as well as sites like Drayton Manor and Fantasy Island.

GreenWood has been shortlisted three times in the Best Sustainability Initiative category in recognition of its relentless commitment to lessening its impact on the environment. Two of its unique rides have made the shortlist, as well as the adventure park’s overall commitment to going and staying green.

GreenWood’s shortlisted entries

  • Green Dragon Roller Coaster

The world’s only people-powered rollercoaster uses nothing but energy of its riders to spiral its way through the trees. The 250-metre track, which features a 360-horizontal loop, carries up to 20 people and even transfers energy back into the grid when running at full capacity.

  • Solar Splash

The giant water slide was the UK’s first solar-powered ride and boasts two 60-metre wave chutes, as well as a longer spiral slide. The ride is connected to GreenWood’s own 576-panel solar array, which also powers much of rest of the park’s infrastructure.

  • Going Green

Aside from the individual rides, GreenWood showcases innovative techniques to ensure its environmental impact is a little as possible. The site has adopted rainwater harvesting, a dedicated solar farm and a newly drilled borehole for fresh water to contribute to its goal of becoming self-sustaining. It’s a day out unlike any other, where fun and sustainability go hand-in-hand.

You can cast your vote for one of GreenWood’s shortlisted entries at https://ukthemeparkawards.com/vote.

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What’s on this summer at Continuum Attractions

Uncover criminal misdemeanours at the UK’s number one attraction, meet Corrie royalty, suit up as a knight and much more with Continuum Attractions this summer.

GreenWood Family Park, North Wales
What: Experience one of the UK’s greenest days out
When: Daily
Enjoy a thrilling family day out, surrounded by nature in the woodland of North Wales. The award-winning adventure park is home to the UK’s only people-powered rollercoaster, the UK’s first solar powered ride and much more.
Immerse yourself in ‘Forest Rocks’ as our park ranger, Jess, hosts a fun forest school, get lost in the mysterious Dragon Maze and ride along the Enchanted River during a day out at one of the UK’s most sustainable family attractions.

Discover action and adventure this summer – BOOK HERE

York’s Chocolate Story
What: Summer Chocolate Masterclass
When: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 23rd July to 4th September
Indulge in a sweet summer at York’s Chocolate Story with an exclusive family masterclass, providing a unique opportunity to become a chocolatier and create an array of tasty chocolate treats under the expert guidance of our chocolatiers.
Also, enjoy a Classic Guided Tour and dive into the delicious, 4,000-year history of chocolate and explore York’s rich chocolate heritage. Led by expert guides, uncover the secrets behind the city’s esteemed chocolate industry while making unforgettable memories.

Unwrap the history of chocolate – BOOK HERE

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth
What: Sky Ranger Squad
When: 22nd July to 30th August
The 170-metre high observation tower offers spectacular views of the sea and outstanding experiences, from high tea to abseiling.
This summer, earn your Sky Ranger badge and join the Spinnaker team as we host six weeks of family fun. From Pirate fun and dinosaur hunting to heroes and villains and chocolate making, there’s a new Sky Ranger activity each week with an exclusive Pop Badge to collect for each.
Simply pay once for your Sky Ranger family ticket and return as many times as you like between Monday 22nd July and Friday 30th August!

Explore Spinnaker this summer – BOOK HERE

The Loch Ness Centre, Inverness
What: Loch Ness with Alan McKenna
When: Saturday 10th August, with additional dates later in the year
Uncover the truth about one of the world’s most famous legends. Tales of Nessie date back almost 1,500 years and monster hunters continue to flock to Loch Ness to catch a glimpse to this day.
Deepscan with Alan McKenna gives visitors the chance to embark on a quest onto the legendary waters of Loch Ness alongside Deepscan Captain Alistair Matheson, the esteemed Skipper for the Loch Ness Project.
Help Alan from Loch Ness Exploration search for clues by utilising a 60-foot hydrophone to listen for mysterious sounds echoing from the depths of the loch, as the search for Nessie goes on.

Discover the real Loch Ness story today – BOOK HERE

Coronation Street Experience, Manchester
What: Coronation Street Star Tours
When: Every Saturday and Sunday
A long list of Corrie legends from Dame Maureen Lipman to Andy Whyment have graced the set’s Star Tours in the past but who could you meet this time around?
Soap fans have more chance than ever to meet their favourites this summer with icons like Sue Cleaver and Colson Smith lined up to appear on the Cobbles in the coming months – although it’s always a surprise which star guest you will get to meet!
During your visit, you can also grab snaps outside The Rovers Return or The Kabin on your tour of Coronation Street’s authentic set, visit the Exhibition to relive iconic moments from the show and grab a bite in our café before posing behind the nation’s most famous bar.

Step onto the street – BOOK HERE

Emmerdale Village Tour, Leeds
What: Emmerdale Star Tours
When: Every Saturday and Sunday
There’s no more beautiful county than Yorkshire and the sun brings it to life. Explore its most famous village with pit stops at The Woolpack and David’s Shop, and meet one of Emmerdale’s most popular residents. Danny Miller, Lisa Riley and Natalie Robb have all graced the tours in the past so why not see who you meet this time around? Get a sneak peek behind the scenes of the idyllic village which is always gripped by drama on a 90-minute Star Tour this summer.

Step into the drama – BOOK NOW

Oxford Castle & Prison
What: Knight School
When: 25th July to 30th August
Climb the 101 steps of St George’s Tower to enjoy panoramic views of Oxford. Descend to the castle’s haunted, ancient crypt and do time in the prison’s 18th century cells. All before climbing the iconic Mound at the heart of one of the UK’s most popular city escapes.
This summer, join its Knight School, which returns for another year. Don your armour, sharpen your sword and prepare to set out on a quest. Join us in the Castleyard for medieval weapons training, jousting and archery – all under the supervision of the Castle’s knights. Once you’ve been trained, you will be knighted and presented with your own sword to take home!

Step inside and do 1,000 years of time – BOOK HERE

The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh
What: True Crime Tours
When: Every Friday and Saturday in August
Discover authentic truths about Edinburgh’s dark past and find out what it was really like for the people who lived, worked and died on the Close, which sits beneath the modern day Royal Mile.
For the first time, adult-only True Crime Tours take place in the summer – leading guests on a journey to discover the dark details of criminal misdemeanours that took place in 17th century Edinburgh, confronting themes such as eviction, addiction, and the criminal lack of legislation in place to protect residents. Find out what the rise of the witch trials meant for ordinary people living on the closes. Also, learn of the intriguing link that Mary King’s Close has to the infamous character that likely inspired The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Step down into Edinburgh’s hidden history – BOOK HERE

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Guests from 118 countries welcomed to Loch Ness Centre in first year as Continuum attraction

    • The Loch Ness Centre is celebrating the first anniversary of its £1.5m upgrade
    • 48 per cent of visitors say they’re convinced the Loch Ness Monster lurks beneath the water
    • Guests from 188 countries have booked onto tours
    • More than 13,000 Nessie hunters have taken to the water with sonar equipment in the last year to search for answers

More than 85,000 people have joined the hunt for the Loch Ness Monster in the last year, including visitors from 118 countries.

June 10th marks the first anniversary of the reopening of The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit. We invested £1.5m in the Highlands attraction in 2023, intertwining high-tech and immersive storytelling with the legendary story of the Nessie.

Lured by its rich mix of scientific research and reported sightings, guests have descended on the original Drumnadrochit Hotel from all four corners of the world in the last 12 months, including from Australia, Guatemala, Malawi and Mongolia.

While guests are intrigued by stories of Nessie, it’s clear that many believe tales of the legendary creature are based in fact. Since reopening last year, visitors have been having their say at the end of each hour-long tour. They say:

    • ‘I see Nessie’ – 48 per cent
    • ‘Nonsense’ – 23 per cent
    • ‘Possibility’ – 28 per cent

Juliana Delaney, our CEO, says: “The Loch Ness story is one of the most famous ever told and, more than ever, we are discovering that there are believers in almost every country, keen to make up their own minds about Nessie.

“When we redesigned and reopened the attraction last year, we were committed to retaining the authenticity and portraying the real story behind Loch Ness, its mysteries and its monster. Moving away from the cliches, we were passionate about focusing on the facts and real-life accounts. We acknowledge that, in many cases, there are rational explanations grounded in science for what people encounter but there are still plenty that have gone unexplained to this day.

“Our balance between explaining the science and beautifully illustrating witness accounts is what continues to draw people to the Loch and The Loch Ness Centre. Guests from six continents and 118 countries can’t be wrong.”

Visitors have praised the Centre’s “modern and fresh” presentation and how it appeals to all ages, backed by its five-star status on Tripadvisor.

One guest said: “We returned to the exhibition following its recent refurbishment and wow – what a difference. This new presentation vividly brings the science, culture and folklore to life in a clear and entertaining way.

A second commented: “What an excellent experience. It’s not what I was expecting. It was educational, witty and there was something for everyone. It was a really well-balanced view of possibilities with enough of a magical element to fulfil the fantasy.”

A visit to the Centre is internationally popular. In the last year, bookings have come from across the globe, including:

    • Guatemala
    • Laos
    • Malawi
    • Mozambique
    • Nepal
    • Oman
    • Peru
    • Samoa
    • Turkmenistan
    • Venezuela
    • Zambia

A single booking could be done on behalf of a group or an individual.

As well as visiting the Exhibition, more than 13,000 guests have also headed out onto the Loch on a Deepscan Cruise. The boat, named after the first Operation Deepscan Expedition carried out in the Loch in 1987, ferries guests across the water to search its depths using world-class sonar equipment, as well as to get stunning views of Urquhart Castle.

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Wonka woes to Paddington’s pounds: Our CEO has her say on the evolution of immersive experiences

Never has our industry made headlines so readily.

The infamous Willy Wonka-inspired experience made global news and sent shockwaves through anyone owning or managing attractions. We are – and will never be – in that position but it’s hard to avoid flashbacks to when those notorious, underwhelming images appeared online.

Now, London’s new Paddington Bear Experience has launched making headlines of its own, based around its cost – a little more than your typical marmalade sandwich!

More extravagant, immersive attractions are popping up across the UK. While some are seriously impressive, others fall well short and raise questions around value for money.

Check out our CEO Juliana’s comments to The Observer about the rise of large-scale immersive experiences here.

“Their rise to prominence stems from the demand for captivating, story-led experiences,” Juliana says.

“Most attractions tell a story but the method of doing so is often the clincher in driving sales and providing a genuinely great experience. These large-scale immersive interactions remove the guest from their everyday and transport them to an alternative space where they can forget about their day-to-day challenges for a while. But these attractions can sometimes underwhelm.

“Technology has its part to play but our insights show there is still huge demand for authentic, people-led experiences with storytelling at their heart. One example is The Real Mary King’s Close. It utilises talented actors to take guests back to the 17th-century and ranks in TripAdvisor’s top 10 UK attractions – showing the demand is there.

“With increased operating costs to consider, tiered pricing strategies are also employed to provide accessibility to as many potential guests as possible. These models can include everything from early bird discounts to VIP packages to cater for various budgets and open our doors to as many people as possible.

“In years gone by, we have also found that guests might spend a full day in a city to soak up three or four attractions but this is no longer the case. We are finding visitors are now opting to spend their money on one great experience – one they know will knock them out the park and create lasting memories to recall in years to come or share on their Instagram.”

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English Tourism Week

English Tourism Week 2023 is here and it’s set to be a thrilling celebration of all the wonderful things that make England such a fantastic tourist destination. From historical landmarks and stunning countryside to vibrant cities and lively coastal towns, there’s something to captivate every kind of traveller.

For over 30 years, as a market leader in tourism and visitor attractions, Continuum has been creating award-winning attractions that bring great stories to life. English Tourism Week is a great opportunity for us to celebrate our fantastic people, who help us to bring real places and real stories to life, making memories for thousands of happy guests who visit us each year.    

Running from March 18th to 26th, the event aims to raise awareness about the vital role tourism plays in the English economy and showcase the diverse array of attractions and destinations the country offers. This year, a key theme is sustainability, and Continuum’s English attractions, such as Oxford Castle & Prison, Spinnaker Tower, York’s Chocolate Story, are leading the way with green initiatives, sustainable policies and responsible procurement plans. You can read more about Continuum’s efforts towards a more sustainable tourism sector here.

Wherever you are located there are plenty of popular English based attractions to explore. For instance, Oxford Castle & Prison offers tours that take visitors on a journey through time, showcasing the city’s dark and mysterious past. The Spinnaker Tower, which stands an impressive 170 meters tall, offers spectacular views of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, York’s Chocolate Story is an interactive attraction that celebrates the city’s rich history of chocolate-making and offers guests treats along the way that really let them taste York’s rich chocolate-making history.

If you’re a fan of British television soaps, you won’t want to miss The Coronation Street Tour in Manchester or The Emmerdale Village Tour in Yorkshire. These behind-the-scenes experiences offer visitors an exclusive look at the live production filming locations for two of the UK’s most beloved soap operas.

Continuum’s CEO Juliana Delaney says:
It is great that we celebrate the tourism industry. There is still so much that only those working in the industry really appreciate. It’s a great place to start your career but also to bring your career too. When well managed, it brings prosperity to the areas where it flourishes. It’s great for UK plc – as it’s one industry that can’t be off-shored. Tourism is a force for good across the world too. I’ve had a 40-year career in tourism, and it’s a great feeling to make people happy. Let’s celebrate and champion Tourism and all who work in it.

English Tourism Week 2023 is an excellent opportunity to discover all the wonderful things England has to offer, while supporting businesses and organisations that are committed to sustainability and responsible tourism. So why not get involved and join in the festivities? Whether you visit a Continuum attraction, explore one of England’s many stunning landmarks or simply indulge in some of the country’s delicious food and drink, you’re sure to have an unforgettable experience.

To celebrate English Tourism Week we are running a competition for one lucky winner to receive free tickets to each of our 5 English Attractions: Coronation Street The Tour, Emmerdale Village Tour, Oxford Castle & Prison, The Spinnaker Tower & York’s Chocolate Story. These tickets will be valid for a full 12 months, so you can spread out the celebrations and tour the best of the UK over the next year. We will even provide a £100 spend towards train tickets, helping you to travel more sustainably when visiting our attractions.

To enter just follow Continuum Attractions and each of the attractions listed in the post on either Facebook or Instagram. Then comment and tag a friend/family member who you would like to take with you if you win. On Monday, the 27th of March, we will pick a winner at random.

Please read the terms and conditions of the competition here.

Good Luck!

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Continuum Attractions takes the reins at iconic Loch Ness attraction with £1.5 million investment

The Loch Ness Centre logo over the loch

We are delighted to announce that Continuum Attractions has now signed a long-term lease to take over one of Scotland’s most famous visitor attractions, The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition in the Highlands of Scotland, near Inverness.

L – R Robert Bremner, Juliana Delaney Chief Executive of Continuum, Paul Nixon Continuum and David Bremner. Photo Credit: Paul Campbell Photography

Our plan over the next 12 weeks will be to spend £1.5 million transforming the attraction into a world-class visitor attraction, ready to re-open in Spring 2023, as the new ‘The Loch Ness Centre’.

We are award-winning, authentic storytellers, and what a story we have to tell here. The transformation will engage, entertain and inform guests, focusing on telling the globally renowned story behind the legend of Loch Ness, exploring the myths, alongside the scientific research, that has turned Nessie into one of Scotland’s most famous icons.

A concept graphic showing the entrance to The Loch Ness Centre.
The concept image above shows the first Prologue Room in the new Loch Ness Centre where we will excite our guests and spark their imagination for what is to come. This room features a series of curiosities to whet the visitors’ appetite.

The Loch Ness Centre will become the 8th attraction within Continuum’s UK-wide portfolio alongside; The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh. York’s Chocolate Story in York, The Emmerdale Village Tour in Leeds, Coronation Street The Tour in Manchester, Greenwood Family Park in North Wales, Oxford Castle & Prison in Oxford, and the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

The first Loch Ness exhibition was founded in May 1980 by Ronnie Bremner and designer Tony Hamsworth. The following winter, in conjunction with naturalist Adrian Shine, leader of the Loch Ness Project a lifelong partnership was formed between the Loch Ness Centre and the Loch Ness Project which continues to this day with the Projects laboratory and research centre on site. Continuum’s investment in a new five-star attraction will further unlock the mysteries and history of the world-famous destination and its many year-round activities and attractions.

Juliana Delaney, chief executive of Continuum Attractions, said:

“Continuum tells the real stories in real places about real people. The search for Nessie encapsulates all three. Having had tremendous success with the award-winning Real Mary King’s Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, I was keen to seek out another great Scottish story to tell. We found it on Loch Ness. This is a magical place – it could be our Jurassic Park, and if a monster hasn’t been found here yet, this is the place in which it will be discovered! So I will encourage everyone to ‘keep looking’.”

Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said:

“Loch Ness is renowned the world over for its most elusive resident, Nessie, and indeed the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition has and will continue to attract visitors from around the world each year.

In Scotland’s Year of Stories, it is great to hear that this investment will mean that even more people will have the chance to learn all about Nessie – the subject of so many myths, tales and stories over the years.
Tourism is a force for good. It creates jobs, sustains communities and contributes significantly to the economy. The impact of tourism spreads far beyond the industry itself – it benefits our economy, our community and our wellbeing.”

Michael Golding, CEO at Visit Inverness Loch Ness added:

“We are delighted to welcome Continuum Attractions to the destination and are working with them to ensure the story and experience are authentically local for our 1.6M visitors annually. The destination continues to attract significant investment and collectively this ensures the area remains a must-visit destination in any visit to Scotland.”

Outgoing Managing Director, Robert Bremner, added: 

“This is an exciting time for the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition. Retaining the authenticity of the attraction was always our priority and we know we’re in safe hands working with the award-winning team at Continuum, who have outstanding capability in authentic storytelling and creating an exceptional visitor experience, with a focus on tourism operators; while retaining the families ownership of this historic site.

“As a family we have been in control of the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition for over 40 years and my brother David and I felt the time was right for us to hand over the reins to Continuum to develop the new and improved offering which will allow visitors to experience the history of the Loch Ness Monster by exploring Scotland’s geological past and folklore like never before.”

Find out more on our website.

For media enquiries, images and interviews, contact:

nikki@soundbitepr.co.uk, 07940 233 927

abie@soundbitepr.co.uk, 0131 510 3252

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Spinnaker Tower is Shaping Portsmouth

“It is with a great deal of pride, excitement and pleasure that I welcome Tony and the team from the Spinnaker Tower to Shaping Portsmouth as our latest Patron. The venue is iconic and one of the most recognisable in the city. Tony and his team are excellent ambassadors for the city and represent the very best of our businesses.” – Stef Nienaltowski, CEO of Shaping Portsmouth

We are excited to be joining other businesses, education centres, and cultural groups in promoting our home city. What makes our attraction so great is the view of our favourite city, Portsmouth, and our island’s beautiful coastline.

Shaping Portsmouth’s mission is to boost all things Portsmouth! Working with organisations to create sustainable partnerships and make Portsmouth the UK’s premier waterfront city to invest, learn and visit. They are well known for their work with The University of Portsmouth, The Armed Forces Covenant, and South Western Railway.

You can learn more about Shaping Portsmouth’s mission on their website.

By working with such a great group we are part of a movement dedicated to pushing projects we love. Shaping Portsmouth supports green space initiatives, education programs, and exploring and discovering Portsmouth’s vibrant cultural heritage.

We are proud to be Shaping Portsmouth and look forward to continuing to work in the heart of the community.

Learn how Spinnaker Tower also works with local Portsmouth suppliers read more in our blog post here.

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Improving the lives of Scottish children – The Real Mary King’s Close supports Cash for Kids as its Charity Partner

The ghostly story of the young girl Annie and her lost doll is just one of the many stories shared at leading Edinburgh visitor attraction The Real Mary King’s Close, and is the main reason why the attraction has chosen to support Cash for Kids in 2020.

In the 1990s, a Japanese psychic visited the attraction and told of feeling the ‘presence’ of a child’s unhappy ghost, whom she pacified with a real toy doll. Since then, visitors to the Close have brought hundreds of gifts for Annie, mainly toys, sweets, letters, children’s jewellery, and money.

Whilst the attraction has temporarily closed as part of the preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19, prior to closing their doors the team at The Real Mary King’s Close added up the donations in Annie’s Room, and presented a cheque for £2,000 to the Cash for Kids Charity this week.

Paul Nixon, General Manager, says

“We’re delighted to be working with Cash for Kids this year, a charity benefitting children in and around Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk. We’ve an abundance of fascinating stories that relate to the very people who lived and walked these streets, most notably the story of the child Annie, and it felt very fitting to choose Cash for Kids, a charity we can not only fundraise for, but also engage with on a deeper level.

“Being able to present an initial sum of money at the beginning of a new campaign has been extremely joyful, and we know it will be used to help children in need right now during this challenging time.”

The partnership runs for one year from March 2020. The Real Mary King’s Close is part of a group of eight attractions run by tourism specialists Continuum Attractions, whose commitment is to create engaging experiences with purpose for visitors to enjoy. Charity partnerships have been a core part of the organisation for over ten years, with the Group raising over £100,000 during that time. The driving vision for these partnerships is to create people-focused, interactive opportunities that bring staff teams together to have a positive impact on society.

Ian Robertson, Corporate Fundraising Manager, Cash for Kids, says

“What an amazing way to start the new campaign, a donation of this size is fantastic. We’re so pleased to have The Real Mary King’s Close on board as a charity partner, and the positive feedback so far has been great. Our aim is to respond to the needs of children, and this is a really important time to work together, as we all feel the impact of the current climate. We’re definitely looking forward to developing this relationship over the year ahead.”

To find out more and support online: www.forth1.com/appeal

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A Polite Reassurance For Our Attraction Guests regarding Covid-19 (Coronavirus)

The safety and wellbeing of you, our guests, and our team is our priority and we will take all necessary precautions to ensure everyone’s continued welfare.

As you plan your visit to us we want to assure you that we are actively monitoring the situation with regards to Covid-19 (Coronavirus) and are reviewing and following the guidelines of Public Health England.  The advice from the health authorities has not changed, so our attractions are operating as normal and standard terms and conditions on bookings continue to apply.

So firstly, we will welcome all our guests with a warm smile, rather than a handshake!

During your visit, we wish to reassure you that we are taking all possible steps to minimise risk, including the implementation of enhanced cleaning regimes.

We ask you to observe high standards of personal hygiene. There are simple things you can do to help prevent the spread of the virus, including:

  • Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
  • Putting used tissues in the bin immediately
  • Washing your hands with soap and hot water regularly, or using hand sanitiser gel
  • Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

We have placed additional hand sanitisers at the entrance and in convenient locations for guests, and we politely ask that you use them regularly.

We want to welcome everyone to our attractions with a warm smile and the reassurance that we have your health in mind, so you can enjoy time with your friends and family.

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Hankies at the ready, the plague returns to Edinburgh for the first time in over 370 years

It has been a bumper year for our award-winning Edinburgh visitor attraction, The Real Mary King’s Close, as over a quarter of a million people visited, the attraction won a handful of awards, and we announce plans for new investment in 2020.

Must-do attraction

Right in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town and underneath the streets of the bustling Royal Mile, The Real Mary King’s Close has long been included on the ‘must-do’ list of any Edinburgh visit and is working hard to keep that the case in the coming year.

A great year!

“It has been a great year for The Real Mary King’s Close, as we ended the year with awards, including winner of ‘Best for Big Kids in Scotland’ said Paul Nixon, General Manager.

‘In 2019 we launched a new gin tasting tour and our family-friendly tours, and we’ve plenty of new ways to try and ensure we retain an important spot on peoples’ wish-list for any Edinburgh visit.’

Planned investment

There is a planned investment of over £100K in several key areas of the attraction this spring, including an extension to The Plague story and a reinterpretation of Mary Queen of Scots’ visit. Digital technology will form a large part of the reinterpretation, working with set designers and talented Guest Experience Managers to create a highly appealing and quality experience for visitors.

The Plague Room at The Real Mary king's Close - a Plague Doctor in long black hidden cloak and 'beak' tends to his boil-covered patient
Visitors to the Close already visit the popular Plague room where they discover Dr Rae, boils and ‘miasmas’

Full details will be announced in early 2020, with new photography and assets available.

The story doesn’t end here…

Find out more about our history with The Real Mary King’s Close in our case study here or see more recent news from across our attractions on our blog page.

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Double Silver at The Beautiful South Awards

We are truly celebrating the season of awards here at Continuum Attractions – with another win for two of our beautiful attractions in the Tourism South East ‘Beautiful South Awards.’

The Clouds Café at 105m high on the second viewing deck of Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth received silver for ‘Café/Tearoom of the Year’, whilst Oxford Castle & Prison is celebrating a silver for ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’.

“We’re heading towards our best year yet for celebrating successes as these beautiful accolades come swiftly on the heels of our hat trick of recognition” says Juliana Delaney, our Chief Executive, referring to our triple win at the British Travel Awards last month.

“We’re thrilled that both attractions are able to celebrate this recognition for the contribution they make to the tourism offering in the south and we’re very proud of the teams working behind the scenes to ensure the best quality, innovative and purposeful visitor experiences.”

Organised by Tourism South East, the Beautiful South Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements for businesses and professionals in the tourism industry over 18 months. This year saw 40% more entries across 23 categories, with an awards ceremony held at the Grand Brighton on the 10th December, and was hosted by Simon Calder, travel journalist and broadcaster.

Oxford Castle & Prison collect their award: Laurie Byrne, Marketing Manager; Chris Abbot, General Manager; Olivia Scammel, PR Manager

The story doesn’t end here…

Why not visit one of our  attractions and see for yourself how we create award-winning visitor experiences, take your pick here.

Or, if you’re looking for attraction expertise to turn your idea or attraction into an award-winner, why not find out more about collaborating with us?

 

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An awards hatrick for our attractions!

We were delighted to receive British Travel Awards at two of our leading visitor attractions this week.

York’s Chocolate Story claimed Silver in the Best Leisure Attraction and Bronze in the Best Heritage Attraction, whilst Emirates Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth took home Bronze in the Best Leisure Attraction.

Our CEO, Juliana Delaney comments;

“This is a fantastic way to approach the end of the year and we’re delighted with the recognition of two of our attractions, by the visiting public themselves.

“York Chocolate Story has gone from strength to strength this year and has seen the history and heritage of chocolate presented and explained in the most creative ways. Its recognition is well deserved for the team who work relentlessly to connect people with the stories and many benefits of chocolate. And Emirates Spinnaker Tower has truly established itself as a ‘must see’ on the south coast, from Afternoon Tea to abseiling, it stands as a beacon for the sector. This is a great achievement for everyone involved.”

The British Travel Awards are the largest consumer awards in the UK. Over 400,000 Brits cast over 860,000 votes for every category of travel, and a gala dinner was held in London this week, attended by over 1,000 people from the travel industry.

The story doesn’t end here…

Why not visit one of our  attractions and see for yourself how we create award-winning visitor experiences, take your pick here.

Or, if you’re looking for attraction expertise to turn your idea or attraction into an award-winner, why not find out more about collaborating with us?

 

 

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Introducing Star Wars Secrets of The Empire

Continuum Attractions are delighted to announce a partnership with USA- based start-up, The VOID, to bring a Star Wars TM  themed, hyper-reality experiences to the UK, opening in London in December 2017.

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, the highly anticipated hyper-reality experience produced in collaboration with Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB, will launch at Westfield, London in December and is available for pre-booking at www.thevoid.com.

“The guest experience will blow your mind,’ said Kevin Smith, Group Attractions Director at Continuum Attractions, who recently travelled to The VOID headquarters in Utah.  ‘We expect guests to visit because they love the Star Wars brand and leave having experienced something absolutely brand new.

This is an experience that everyone will be thrilled by. Forget virtual reality or even augmented reality, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire opens up the new immersive world of hyper-reality with touch, sounds and smells. This will be the must-do event this Christmas and in 2018.”

Continuum Attractions will operate the pop-up experience in  Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush.

Sarah Marsh, Chief Experience Officer of The VOID commented, ‘Continuum Attractions are our trusted operating partners for this exciting new adventure here in the UK. It has been a fast-paced design, build and development of the operation here in London, with a very short lead into the launch of tickets and opening date. Continuum Attractions was able to deliver this for us. There are now plans forming to take the attractions across Europe.’

The VOID is simultaneously opening Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida.

Continuum Attractions previously operated the Emirates Cable Car in London, an exhibition for EMI and helped develop The Crystal, a Siemens brand attraction in London’s Royal Docks.

 

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Lights Out for Earth Hour

March 25th marks the 10th anniversary of the WWF Earth Hour campaign, the world’s largest demonstration of support for action on climate change. The teams across our attractions will be joining in to raise awareness and take part in the ‘switch-off’ at 8.30pm. We’re challenging our teams to have not just an electric-light free hour – but an hour with no electricity at all! No lights, no computers, no TV…

The Tower goes dark

Throughout the year we light up Emirates Spinnaker Tower for various charities (most recently we went blue for World Water Day), but on March 25th Emirates Spinnaker Tower will go dark, as all non-essential lighting is turned off to mark Earth Day.

All our attraction’s websites will also feature a ‘black-out’ banner to raise awareness.

Our commitment to green

Across Continuum Attractions and our support office, we have been working hard to improve our commitment to fighting climate change. We now have a nominated Green Ambassador at each attraction, led by a central Green Champion. This committee work together to help us in this endeavour and come up with new green initiatives. We’re working to reduce the amount of energy we produce as well as buying less environmentally damaging goods and reducing or recycling waste wherever we can.

Get Involved

There’s lots of ways to get involved in Earth Hour, including turning your lights off for an hour at 8.30pm on Saturday. For more information see: EarthHour.org.

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Corrie on Tour: Street sets to tour UK

We are pleased to announce our plans to take Coronation Street’s iconic sets on tour around the UK, premiering at the SECC in Glasgow from 27th August 2016.

A bespoke 2000 sqm show dome – the biggest of its kind in the UK – will showcase iconic sets, props and costumes from the world’s longest-running TV soap opera.

The touring experience follows the resounding success of Coronation Street The Tour in Manchester, which welcomed over 850,000 visitors to the soap’s original Quay Street sets during its 18 month run.

Juliana Delaney, our Chief Executive comments:

“After we closed the doors to Coronation Street The Tour in December 2015, we recognised a huge unfulfilled demand from elsewhere in the UK. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to take Corrie on tour to allow more fans to get closer to their favourite television show.”

Coronation Street On Tour will subsequently relocate to Belfast next spring, subject to planning permission.

In our 31-year history, we’ve worked with over 100 world-class attractions and currently operate several visitor experiences across the UK, including the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh.

Find out how to get tickets. 

Want to be part of the story? We’re recruiting for a range of roles at the attraction – find out more.

*Updated Links – 10/06/2024

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EU Referendum – statement from our CEO

-Juliana Delaney (CEO, Continuum Attractions)

“On behalf of our industry and Continuum Attractions I have been clear that we should remain inside the EU; leaving the European Union was a sad decision that has the potential to damage our business, Britain’s economy and Europe’s stability. Democracy has given us a decision and we accept  and respect the majority vote.

“To quote Sir Richard Branson: ‘Now is not the time for further complaints and anger. Now is the time to come together as a nation and heal the wounds created by the divisive tone and aggressive rhetoric that has dominated this campaign. The UK and its amazing, resilient people have weathered many storms – with determination, resolve and sense of what is right. Those qualities will be needed over the testing months and years to come.’

“To put it in the words of the late Jo Cox, “’we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us. It’s time to build on that as the UK navigates the choppy waters ahead.’

“The reason why tourism is so successful in this country, is because our country has so much to offer.  People come to Britain because of our extraordinary heritage, our beautiful landscapes, our great sporting events, our art, some of the finest museums in the world, and our music.

“All of these are why people come to visit Britain.  It was the case last week, it is the case this week, and it will be the case next week.”