Wow what a show on Saturday evening was just one of the many enthusiastic feedback comments received following just for groups! educational trip for group organisers to County Durham.
The weekend, which was organised by just for groups, was based at the excellent Holiday Inn, Scotch Corner and included visits to Beamish, The Living Museum of the North; Kynren – An Epic Tale of England; The Auckland Project; Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle with added support from Cairn Hotels, AGTO, Visit County Durham, Stanley Coaches and Durham City Coaches.
Burke said the initial reason behind the tour was to enable group leaders to experience first-hand the Kynren performance as many could not comprehend what everyone – especially just for groups! - was raving about. In that respect, Burke added, it was ‘mission accomplished’ for us as without exception they were all literally ‘in awe’ and ‘spell bound’ by the amazing performance.
Kynren also demonstrated the importance they place on organised group visits providing them with an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the stables, where they got up close and personal with the cavalry horses, prior to the show which was thoroughly enjoyed. This was then followed by a VIP reception, after the event, where they got to meet and ask questions to the CEO and Director of Cavalry and Estates over drinks and canapes before returning to the hotel for a late supper.
Prior to the evening performance of Kynren the morning was spent at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North. On arrival a tram awaited to take the group organisers down to the Town for a welcome reception. They were thrilled to be told, as they boarded, that ‘Tram 31’ had just been used in the filming for Downton Abbey!
Following an informative presentation, where they learned about the exciting developments taking place at Beamish, they were free to explore at their leisure where some made good use of their included lunch vouchers at Davys famous Fish and Chip shop! Back on the coach they all agreed that Beamish was somewhere to spend the full-day and definitely worth including within the itinerary.
The visits arranged for Sunday commenced with The Auckland Project which included a behind the scenes tour of Auckland Castle. Even though the Castle is still not due to officially open until the 2nd November, this year, they were all ‘bowled over’ and eager to return once the renovations were completed. They also found it fascinating to see how the history of the Castle and Bishop Auckland tied in with Kynren. The fact that so many questions were asked during the tour speaks volumes.
In the afternoon they headed in to Durham to be greeted by the guides at the Cathedral, in their stunning red cloaks, for a private guided visit of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. They learned about its history, enjoyed the stunning architecture, and marvelled at the spectacular stained glass windows before moving on to see the new world class Open Treasure Exhibition and Durham Castle to complete the weekends formal and inspirational visits.
Burke concluded that the success of the weekend was evident from the enthusiastic response they had received throughout the trip and the messages of thanks, appreciation and enquiries that were now coming in for ‘tailor made’ itineraries touring the best of County Durham.
We had great representation from a wide variety of clubs and associations, added Burke, including numerous U3A groups and members of AGTO. And I hope that they will all now help to spread the word, amongst their fellow group leaders, and encourage more groups to visit County Durham where they are assured of a wonderful experience whichever attractions they decide to include within their itinerary.