Nottingham Castle takes part in National Lottery #ThanksToYou on Saturday

December fun thanks to The National Lottery
#ThanksToYou

Nottingham Castle will be throwing open its doors for free to National Lottery players on Saturday 01 December 2018.

The Castle is one of hundreds of participating National Lottery-funded visitor attractions across the UK saying ‘thanks’ to people who have raised money for good causes by buying a lottery ticket. A map of all the participating locations can be found at: https://www.hlf.org.uk/thankyou/map 

The idea is simple: any visitor who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard on Saturday gets a sneak peek at what’s been happening since the site closed for transformation in the summer.

Members of the Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Team will lead free tours of the grounds to see changes on site and hear about the next stages of the project*. Also included is an optional journey down Mortimer’s Hole cave route (this will add 30 minutes to the tour time).

Tours will run from 10am and then on the half hour with the last tour at 11.30. The tour is limited to 20 people and spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Those waiting will have a chance to meet local outlaw Robin Hood at the gates as well as the real-life Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr Cat Arnold.

Nottingham Castle has received £13.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money will pay for developments to establish the Castle as a significant visitor destination, celebrating its unique and nationally-significant 1,000 year history with tales of power, protest and rebellion across the centuries. This will include transformation of the site, the buildings and the way the current collections are presented.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “December is a wonderful time to experience the UK’s rich, diverse and exciting heritage, which has been transformed by more than £7.8bn National Lottery funding since 1994.  This is a small gesture of thanks and a way of giving something back to the people who buy tickets.”

Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we’ve been able to start to bring alive our plans to transform Nottingham Castle. The progress is really rapid. We really wanted to take part in this event to reward players’ support by showing them the developments on site so far which will be closed to the public until 2020. The team is looking forward to meeting lottery players and thanking them in person on Saturday.”

*Terms and Conditions

• One National Lottery ticket provides free entry for one person for a Behind the Scenes External Tour at Nottingham Castle. Accompanying children do not require a National Lottery ticket (max. 3 accompanying children per adult).
• All National Lottery games qualify for free entry (including both National Lottery draw-based games and National Lottery Scratchcards). Proof of purchase of a National Lottery game can be either a hard copy ticket or a digital ticket.
• The offer is valid on 1 December between 10am and 12 noon. Last entry 11.30am.
• Tours will run every half hour – 10am, 10.30am, 11.00am and 11.30am
• Maximum numbers apply. Visitors may be asked to wait up to 30 minutes for the next tour or even advised that there is not space to accommodate them on this date.
• *This is an external tour only. No admission will be granted to the Ducal Palace during the tours.
• Due to construction works on site and health and safety precautions, all visitors must stay on the designated route and with their tour guide at all times.
• Sensible footwear must be worn
• Nottingham Castle has the right to refuse entry in the event of venue reaching capacity, as well as unforeseen circumstances.
• In the event of queries on the day, the manager’s decision is final
• Although we will do everything in our power to make tours accessible, there will be some elements including cave tours and steep inclines which may make the tours difficult for people who have impairments.

Notes to editors        

The National Lottery
National Lottery players raise, on average, £30 million each week for projects all over the country. In total £38 billion has been raised for Good Causes since The National Lottery began in 1994 and more than 535,000 individual grants have been made across the UK, the majority (70 per cent) of which are for £10,000 or less, helping small projects make a big difference in their community!

The Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery #NationalLottery