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

From the history of chocolate to dining in the sky, Continuum Attractions continues to innovate & grow in 2020

‘Giant’ family-fun with a sustainable focus in Wales, chocolate Masterclasses in York and The Plague in Edinburgh, 2020 will again be a big year for Continuum Attractions, as we continue to invest in our nine award-winning attractions, our people, and our vision to create compelling new reasons to visit.

Highlights for 2020 include:

Yorkshire – York’s Chocolate Story

  • February – Launch of new late-night tours with prosecco and expert Chocolatiers

North Wales – Greenwood Family Park

  • Spring – Investment in and launch of Giant Quest, a new addition to the sustainability-focused family park, which will include climbing routes across different levels, bouncing nets, a tower and slide.

Chief Executive Juliana Delaney says;

“I’m incredibly proud of our attractions, which contribute a great deal to the UK tourism offer. We bring the attractions together under a vision of purpose; whether that’s imaginatively bringing ‘hidden’ stories to life at The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh, preserving the fabric and history of Oxford Castle & Prison, encouraging a love for everything sustainable at Greenwood Family Park in Wales, or sharing the history and love of chocolate in York, the Group goes from strength to strength in proving that it can effectively run and lead engaging and successful attractions, with motivated and experienced people at the helm and using emerging digital technology.”


The story doesn’t end here…

Find out more about our other innovative attraction businessess  with our attraction case studies or see more recent news from across our attractions on our blog page.