ATTRACTIONS


RAF Museum invites entries for revamp competition


A competition has been launched to find a landscape design team for the RAF Museum’s highly-anticipated revamp. Te attraction is undergoing a £23m ren- ovation as it builds up to the centenary celebrations of the Royal Air Force in 2018. Te winning team will help achieve the


master plan designed by architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre in 2011. Te four-phase ren- ovation of the site in Hendon, London, is known as the Centenary Programme and includes: refitting of the 1915 factory, due to be completed in December; restor- ing public-use 1931 buildings by 2016; creating a new exhibition and entrance by 2016; and refitting the hangar with a visitor centre and exhibits by 2017. Details: http://lei.sr?a=a3k5y


Council backs Robin Hood attraction


Plans for a Robin Hood- themed attraction in Sherwood Forest are still very much alive, despite the public collapse of a £13m deal earlier this year. Nottinghamshire County


Council (NCC) has said it is still fully committed to building a visitor centre by 2017 “in order to do jus- tice to the legend of Robin Hood”, with investors in the project still reportedly very interested in making the idea become a reality. Te multi-million pound


visitor attraction was due to open in Q1 of 2015, but in June, NCC pulled a deal it had with Discovery Attractions, cit- ing failure to secure enough funding for the project, despite the fact Discovery attested it had secured £60m of funding pledged from a range of overseas and UK investors. With multiple interested parties, NCC has


said a formal process of finding a new exter- nal partner for the visitor centre development will start soon, though Discovery Attractions


Te copper cladding is a nod to the distilling process


Beefeater Gin launches visitor centre in London


British brand of London Dry Gin, Beefeater, has recently opened its new visitor centre and exhibition space in London. Following a competition held in 2008, Lee


Boyd Architects and Four-by-Two design consultants made the winning bid to con- struct an extension that has tied two of the Beefeater sites’ original buildings together; creating a new point of entry and allowing visitors to move freely inside the distillery without interrupting its daily routine. Designed to immerse the visitor in the


story of gin and the history of London, the centre now features a retail space, as well as several interactive exhibition galleries where individuals can learn about gin’s dark begin- nings and the history of the Beefeater brand. Tis is followed by the Still Room – where


the visitor discovers the production process – and has a small sample of the end result at a sleek new gin bar. Te outside of the new extension is clad in undulating cop- per-coloured cladding, giving a nod to not only Beefeater’s traditional copper distilling process, but also the surrounding industrial heritage. Details: http://lei.sr?a=s8R6k


12 Inverness could house new science attraction


Inverness could become home to a science-themed visitor attraction to help educate and develop careers in the sector, as the Scottish city seeks to build on the announcement of a planned Science Skills Academy. Despite details remaining scarce,


Te Inverness Courier reports that part of the facility’s funding has already been agreed for the proj- ect, with a number of locations now being considered across the city. Complementing the proposed


NCC wants to ‘do justice to the legend of Hood’ (played here by Russell Crowe)


has previously stated it would build the attrac- tion “with or without the council’s backing.” “Following the launch of the formal ten-


dering process in late October, we are now aiming to secure a partner organisation by the summer of 2015, with a view to the new attraction being open at some point in the summer of 2017,” said NCC’s Steve Bradley. Details: http://lei.sr?a=A3G8y


Te attraction is expected to be built in the city centre


Highland Science Skills Academy, which recently secured £150,000 in funding, the science-themed attraction would be used to draw additional visitors to the city, while also helping to deliver an impact on the devel- opment of certain scientific careers. “We are working with partners at the


moment to bring a large scale multi-million pound investment to the city centre, which will stimulate public interest and provide a welcome economic boost for the city centre,” said Highland Council leader Drew Hendry. “It will be cutting edge and a game changer in the public’s perception of science. It is


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


highly ambitious and in my view will bring a lot of excitement to the city centre. We are currently at the very early stages of discussing and developing this and are trying to lever in funds from outwith the Highlands.” It is thought that jobs will be created as part


of the visitor attraction, with additional office space for science and technology companies also being suggested for the development. Given that space in the city centre is lim-


ited, the facility could potentially be housed inside, or in place of, an existing property. Details: http://lei.sr?a=W7B8p


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


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