Merlin Entertainments is donating 30,000 tickets globally to emergency services and frontline essential support personnel who have worked throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This is part of a newly-launched initiative called ‘The Big Merlin Thank You’.
NHS staff, emergency workers and frontline responders are being given the chance to take their families out for the day, spend quality time together and have some well-deserved fun at Alton Towers and other Merlin resorts.
10,000 tickets are set to be distributed across the UK and will be made available via the free platform Blue Light Tickets – a new initiative where UK frontline workers can register to secure free tickets for venues and events, with tickets donated by Merlin and other venues, stadiums, clubs, promoters and event industry experts.
These Blue Light Tickets have been donated via Merlin’s dedicated charity Merlin’s Magic Wand.
ADVERTISEMENT
The charity was established by Merlin to offer support and days out for children and families facing challenges of serious illness, disability or adversity around the world.
Alton Towers
The fun doesn’t just stop at Alton Towers though.
ADVERTISEMENT
Free days out will also be offered at other UK attractions including Chessington World of Adventures, LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, The Bear Grylls Adventure, and even some Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE Centres too.
Will Campbell-Lamerton, Partnerships and Operations Manager at Blue Light Tickets, said: “In these difficult times, we have been blown away by Merlin’s generosity.”
“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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.”
Alton Towers
Sandra Hazel, Charity Head at Merlin’s Magic Wand, added: “We would like to say a Big Merlin Thank You to the emergency and essential frontline workers who have played a vital role in the UK’s response to the pandemic.”
“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.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBx4IOqoGxC/
A total of 3,000 tickets will be divided equally across 30 different companies in the UK, whose employees have continued to work throughout the pandemic.
These include:
Teachers via the ASCL.
Royal Mail postal staff.
Compass Group UK & Ireland – the UK’s largest food and support services company (who have been working in healthcare, education and defence as well as supporting key workers within business and industry sectors).
WHSmith – for their post office colleagues, who provided vital postal and banking services on the high street, and for their store colleagues across over 100 hospitals who served frontline NHS staff.
Council workers across the UK – including refuse collectors.
A number of major high street supermarkets.
Food takeaway delivery companies.
For more information, visit the Merlin Entertainments website here.
Trending
Manchester crowned UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Prague, Amsterdam, Benidorm, and now… Manchester?
Jetting off to some of Europe’s cheapest capital cities for a boozy night out with your mates before tying the knot is pretty common-place in the world of stag do culture nowadays.
But some new research has now revealed the UK cities that deliver a legendary last hurrah without the price tag, or the need to hop on a plane.
Chillisauce, the UK’s leading hen and stag organiser, has analysed 81,000+ recent group bookings alongside survey feedback from 4,738 stag groups, cross-referenced against live 2026 travel fares, accommodation, and pint prices.
To devise its top 10 list, real price data has been blended with verified group satisfaction to guarantee stags and their pals the best experience.
With the pull of a major city with music, sport, food, and nightlife without London prices, Manchester was crowned the best-value city for a stag do in 2026 overall.
Manchester has been crowned the UK’s best-value stag do destination for 2026 / Credit: Manchester City Council | shawnanggg (via Unsplash)
The average pint runs a little higher in Manchester than the smaller cities on the list, but groups rated the sheer scale and quality of the night out well above the cost, calling it ‘much more affordable than the South of England’ and ‘cheaper than London’.
For a weekend in Manchester, research found that the average cost per person includes £86.36 for accommodation, £36.66 for an activity, £25.08 for a drinks package, £29.35 for a meal, and the average pint coming in at £6.
“We send thousands of groups to Prague, Amsterdam, and Benidorm every year,” said Robyn Davis, Head of Stag and Hen at Chillisauce,”but Manchester keeps delivering nights out that groups tell us beat their expectations.
“There are also those only-in-Manchester touches too, like catching a match at Old Trafford or the Etihad on the same trip.
“Groups describe the locals as up for a laugh and the whole city as ‘built for a stag weekend,’ with a huge number of them already planning to go back, which is the real test of a great destination.”
Other northern destinations on the top 10 list include Newcastle, Leeds, and Liverpool.
Manchester furniture outlet LOFT is hosting a major closing-down sale with up to 70% off
Emily Sergeant
Manchester furniture outlet LOFT is hosting a major closing-down sale with up to 70% off.
Okay, so it’s not technically closing down per se, but the current LOFT premises off Hyde Road near Piccadilly will officially close doors on 30 September, as the business consolidates its operations and relocates to its newly completed headquarters over at Trafford Park.
Unlike a typical closing-down sale, the stock isn’t old or unwanted. Instead, it’s a live snapshot of LOFT’s day-to-day business, and everything must go.
LOFT is known for furnishing properties across the build-to-rent, student accommodation, co-living, private rented, and social housing sectors, and that constant turnover naturally generates surplus – whether it be project overstock, end-of-line pieces or discontinued items making way for new collections.
The move over to Trafford Park is said to be a moment to clear the warehouse ‘completely’ and start the new chapter with a clean slate.
Manchester furniture outlet LOFT is hosting a major closing-down sale with up to 70% off / Credit: Supplied
This means that everything, from sofas and beds, to dining sets, armchairs, and home accessories, must go before the move, with prices already reduced by 50 to 70% below RRP.
Benjamin Hall, who is the Founder and CEO of LOFT, says this is the ‘biggest and best value’ sale the company has ever offered.
He explained: “As we settle into our new home at Trafford Park, we want a completely clean slate. Whether you’re a homeowner after a one-off bargain, or a landlord, agent or developer furnishing multiple units on a budget, there has never been a better time to visit.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th July 2020 
