Merlin Entertainments will donate 30,000 tickets to emergency and essential workers as part of its reopening plan and new initiative, ‘The Big Merlin Thank You’.
Merlin will donate 30,000 tickets globally to emergency service and frontline essential workers in the UK, Asia, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Tickets will also be donated by venues, stadiums, clubs, promoters and event industry experts across the UK.
The initiative was pioneered by Blue Light Card, the UK’s top discount service for emergency services, social care workers, armed forces and the NHS.
The majority of 10,000 tickets will be made available in the UK via the free platform Blue Light Tickets, where frontline workers can register for free tickets to venues and events.
Tickets will be available via Blue Light Tickets
We’re proud to announce ‘The Big Merlin Thank You’ initiative to donate 30,000 attraction tickets to thank emergency and essential workers around the world for their hard work during the pandemic. View the press release here: https://t.co/0Yv1G1o5n2 #BigMerlinThankYou pic.twitter.com/BFtoWQCVDg
— Merlin News (@MerlinEntsNews) July 7, 2020
Frontline workers are encouraged to register for free online as soon as possible, in order to receive early bird access to the first round of free tickets.
“In these difficult times, we have been blown away by Merlin’s generosity,” said Will Campbell-Lamerton, partnerships and operations manager at Blue Light Tickets.
“We know that free tickets to leisure days out will spread the message of ‘thank you’ to NHS, healthcare and emergency service workers, who’ve shown superhero strength and dedication in recent months.
“For those who haven’t been able to spend much time with their families during the COVID-19 lockdown, either as a result of long working hours or social distancing, we hope that a free day out at a Merlin resort/attraction will give some respite to those who need it most.”
The Blue Light Tickets have been donated via Merlin’s dedicated charity Merlin’s Magic Wand. Sandra Hazel, charity head of Merlin’s Magic Wand, thanked emergency and essential frontline workers “who have played a vital role in the UK’s response to the pandemic”.
Free tickets for Alton Towers, Legoland and Chessington
“Their dedication and tireless effort is hugely appreciated by the whole nation, and we are delighted to be able to offer them a fun day out through the Blue Light Card scheme,” she added.
Tickets will be offered for various attractions, including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor, Thorpe Park, The Bear Grylls Adventure, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE.
3,000 of the tickets will be split equally across 30 different companies in the UK, including Teachers via the ASCL, Royal Mail, Compass Group UK & Ireland, and WHSmith.
They will also go to council workers including refuse collectors, as well as major high street supermarkets such as Tesco, and food takeaway delivery companies.
