Cheshire and Warrington’s Residents’ Festival has been launched by Cheshire MP, Esther McVey and Mark Livesey, CEO of Marketing Cheshire at Arley Hall and Gardens.
The festival is to thank local residents for welcoming even more tourists to the county this year and coincides with VisitEngland’s English Tourism Week.
Supported by Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West & Chester Council and Warrington Borough Council, free vouchers can be downloaded on Thursday 14 March at 10am with more tickets being released on Thursday 21 March at 10am. To obtain vouchers, residents simply log on to the easy-to-use website, www.visitcheshire.com/cheshireresidentsfestival.
New attractions for 2019 include the National Trust’s spectacular moated and half-timbered Tudor manor house, Little Moreton Hall, as well as the unique Clonter Opera Theatre, both near Congleton. Also new are Reaseheath College’s mini Zoo near Nantwich and trips on Chester Boat. Knutsford’s spectacular Tabley House Collection which is based around a great Regency picture collection and includes thousands of historic items, textiles and furniture will also be open.
The Festival is an acknowledgement of the huge role that residents play in welcoming and directing the growing number of visitors to Cheshire.
The number of festival tickets will vary according to the attraction and everyone applying must have either a Cheshire or Warrington postcode.
Many of Cheshire’s famous gardens will be open, such as Capesthorne Hall, Knutsford’s Tatton Park and Arley Hall’s magnificent formal gardens, arboretum and woodlands.
Visitors can discover the wonders of the universe at the world-famous Jodrell Bank, or marvel at the ingenuity of Victorian engineering at Northwich’s Anderton Boat Lift. The award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum is also featuring in the festival.
Mark Livesey, Chief Executive of Marketing Cheshire, said: “Cheshire and Warrington has a glittering array of tourist attractions and we want to thank local residents, who provide such a warm welcome to our visitors from home and abroad, the chance to experience many of them for free. We warmly invite our communities to come and join in the fun and take pride in the attractions on our doorstep.”
Esther McVey, MP for Tatton, said: “I am delighted to be part of this launching this innovative Residents’ Festival. Tourism is a very important and valuable part of Cheshire’s economy and the county is fortunate to have a wealth of talented, hard-working people running its attractions, who are investing time and energy in generating prosperity for everyone.”
