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Merlin’s Magic Wand has been set up by the Merlin Entertainments Group to
provide magical experiences for children who are seriously ill, disabled or disadvantaged and
who might not otherwise be able to attend one of its attractions.
The
Magic Wand will be one of the focal points of the group’s social responsibility agenda. Merlin has made an initial commitment of
£100,000 to the charity and has also donated 5,000 free tickets to its attractions for such
children, with free admission for parents or helpers accompanying them, together worth up to
£300,000. These donations are on top of the company’s existing £2.5m per annum programme
of charitable and community activities. Merlin
will also be supporting the charity with other fundraising activities during the year.
Merlin’s Magic Wand has
been established as a UK charitable trust, and is in the process of being registered with the Charities Commission in the UK. The
charity will be run by a Board of Trustees, who will administer the funds and make awards. Awards may be made
in any of the countries in which Merlin operates.
The initial focus of the
charity will be to provide the means for disadvantaged children to visit a
Merlin Group attraction in one of its many locations around the world, or to make a visit to, or
participate in, another experience appropriate to their circumstances. Grants may be
made towards the cost of travel and accommodation if needed, in addition to providing entrance
passes to the attraction or experience in question.
Applications for awards can come from
individuals or from groups working with seriously ill, disabled or disadvantaged children.
“We are a family attraction based business with great brands including LEGOLAND, Madame
Tussauds, the London Eye, Alton Towers, SEALIFE Centres, The Dungeons, Thorpe Park,
Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle, Heide Park in Germany and Gardaland
in Italy. We operate in 12 countries across three continents and last year we welcomed 32 million
guests to our 52 attractions,” said Merlin CEO, Nick Varney. “Unfortunately, some children,
through disadvantages which are not of their own making, are not in a position to be able
to come and experience our attractions, or indeed many of the things that most children take for
granted. We hope that by making available magical and memorable experiences, the new
Merlin’s Magic Wand charity will be able to bring some pleasure and improvement to the lives
of some of those children.”
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