Boards
Ideas for naff tourist attractions
Inspired by this:
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=8339
Time's running out for Robin Hood ideas that are being sought by the Sheriff of Nottingham.
As part of work by his Sheriff's Commission - set up to find ways to maximise the potential of Robin Hood for Nottingham – current Sheriff Councillor Leon Unczur, has asked members of the public what sort of Robin Hood attraction and events they would like to see in the city.
Ideas received so far include introducing an international archery competition in Nottingham, as well as building on existing mediaeval pageantry with a procession from the Old Market Square to Nottingham Castle, Robin Hood plays, banquets and jousting. At Nottingham Castle, people have suggested there should be more information about Robin, with actors around the building in character and making more of the caves as part of the Robin Hood story. Other ideas include a guided tour around the city of sites of special interest by costumed actors, and a tourist bus linking various sites, including Sherwood Forest, Wollaton Park, Newstead Abbey and the city centre.
Anyone with other ideas has until January 1st to send them in to be considered by the Commission when they meet early in the New Year. They could be incorporated into the Commission's Robin Hood Masterplan, which is due to be published next spring.
The Commission, made up of independent members, is looking into how to create an attraction which would meet or exceed visitors' expectations of a Robin Hood experience in Nottingham. The Sheriff and other Commission members recently travelled to America to see which elements of successful attractions with high visitor numbers could be incorporated into a world-class Robin Hood attraction close to Nottingham Castle. Among their findings were:
The need to make strong connections between different elements of the visitor experience, such as a city attraction and Sherwood Forest
Finding various ways to fully engage visitors, from effective use of technology to good, character-driven story-telling and educational elements combined with entertainment
Giving visitors a reason to stay for longer, such as by providing good quality, affordable eating opportunities.
Councillor Unczur said: "A world-class attraction based on the Robin Hood story is long overdue in Nottingham. I think there is an enthusiasm for this in the city and I would like to channel that enthusiasm into some real proposals that can be taken forward. I'm also interested to hear from people about attractions that they have visited elsewhere in Britain or abroad that they think work well."
Suggestions should be made against some guiding principles and set of criteria for success available at www.mynottingham.gov.uk/sheriffscommission and should be no more than 1,000 words, with any images welcome, and sent to robin.hood@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
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Nottingham wants some kind of 'world class' Robin Hood themed attraction then. Previously we had 'the Tales of Robin Hood', a retail unit located under a carpark, haunted by poorly maintained animatronics and strange smells, but since that was creditcrunched there's no Outlaw-based entertainments.
I think my idea would be a range of medieval siege engines, which would be set up to catapult criminals into the Trent. (The catapults could also be used to demolish rubbish 1960s housing projects)