Adventurous families sought to front Discover campaign
Creative families with an adventurous streak have jumped at the chance to Discover some of the North East’s top visitor attractions as part of a campaign to highlight the breadth of family friendly activities on offer across the region.
Tourism Tyne and Wear’s Discover Pass offers discounts at 60 attractions across North East England, and four fun-loving families have been short listed to explore what the region has to offer and front a campaign to encourage other families to Discover what’s on their doorstep through a blog.
The short listed families have spent the last week exploring some of the attractions involved in the campaign, and the Toole family from Ashington, Northumberland visited Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth, 5-year-old Meaghan said; “I really liked it, the fish were pretty. My favourite animals were the seals, they did tricks and ate fish.”
Meaghan was joined by mum Sonya, dad David and 15-year-old sister Rebecca, Sonya added; “We had a brilliant day, there’s so much to keep children of all ages entertained, and the new Amazing Amazon display was fascinating with its mini monkeys. We had our hands stamped on entry which was excellent meaning we could come and go as we pleased, we had time to enjoy a picnic on the beach and then head back for a talk at Seal Cove.”
The other short listed families include Jill Lee and her three children from Fulwell, Sunderland who visited Down at the Farm in Houghton le Spring, Kim Bailey from South Gosforth, Newcastle who visited Giants Den in Gateshead with her toddler Jessica, and Leanne Taylor from South Shields who’s family Walked on Water at Hartlepool Marina. All four families have written a blog about their day out and the winning entry will see the Discover Family for 2010 named on Friday 16 April.
Jill Lee from Sunderland said; “We’ve had a great time exploring Down at the Farm in Houghton. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed getting up close to farm yard animals like pigs and llamas. “This has been a great opportunity for us to get out and explore different attractions this Easter and we’re excited that we’ve been short listed to become the Discover Family for 2010. Giving a local family the chance to write about days out in the region is a great way for other families to pick up tips on where to visit and the Discover Pass means families don’t have to spend a fortune to have a good day out together.”
Cath Hindle, Head of Tourism said; “Tyne and Wear is packed with attractions offering great value discounted days out through the Tyne and Wear Discover Pass.
“We’re offering one family the opportunity to Discover some of these fantastic attractions throughout 2010, in addition we want to hear from them about what they enjoyed the most and which attractions they’d recommend to other families”
The Discover Pass can be used at attractions across Tyne and Wear and at participating attractions in Northumberland, Durham and Tees Valley including, Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields, Washington Wetland’s Centre, Bamburgh Castle, Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum in Durham and Preston Hall Museum in Stockton.
For more information on the Discover Family and what they’ll be up to in the coming
months go to www.discoverpass.co.uk The Discover Pass costs just £2 and is available from Tourist Information Centres and online.
Media Enquiries please contact Shelley Ann Staines,
Media and PR Manager, Tourism Tyne and Wear,
Shelley.staines@tourismtyneandwear.com 0771 763 1109
Notes to Editors
• Tourism Tyne & Wear is the Area Tourism Partnership for Tyne and Wear.
• The partnership is made up of key stakeholders involved in delivering,
developing and promoting the visitor experience in Tyne & Wear and is
supported by Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council, Sunderland city
Council, South Tyneside Council and North Tyneside Council, and
NewcastleGateshead Initiative.
• Tourism Tyne & Wear is a key partner in the Tourism Network North East.
Along with the ATPs in Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley and the
tourism team based within One North East.