Sign up, Sign up! - Join Queen Victoria’s Army at Fort Nelson this Bank Holiday

23 April 2010

Dress up as a Victorian and head down to the Royal Armouries Museum on Sunday, May 2, and Bank Holiday Monday (May 3) for a fun-packed children’s event at Fort Nelson in Fareham.

Fancy dress is optional, but families are being urged to join the Army in the V for Victoria event – with a prize for the best Victorian costume! Don’t restrict yourself to Army gear – any Victorian theme is more than acceptable!

Children will have the chance to “sign up” for the infantry, artillery and cavalry in a series of Army-based attractions. Bring their own hobbyhorse – or borrow one of the Fort’s – and take part in madcap cavalry charges – The Charge of the Junior Brigade.

Other attractions include a butlers’ crazy assault course, whereby kids clamber across a series of obstacles, trying desperately to keep trays bearing the Colonel’s breakfast of sausages and kedgeree, intact! The programme also includes dressing-up sessions, with specially-made children’s sized Victorian-style clothes for both girls and boys alike. Parents should bring along their cameras.

Authentic Punch and Judy shows run throughout the day, as Punch enlists for the Army and takes on the Russian Tsar in the Crimean War.

The Fort will also roar to the sound of the big guns as the Portsdown Artillery Volunteers (the uniformed section of the Palmerston Forts Society) fire Victorian weapons from the ramparts at set times throughout both days.

Tickets are priced £1 for adults, £2.50 for children, or buy a family ticket for £5 (up to two adults and two children).

Fort Nelson is home to the national collection of big guns and artillery. Youngsters can see history come alive in a fun but educational way and let off steam in a stimulating environment, with plenty to entertain boys and girls alike. Families can either eat in the Fort’s café or enjoy a picnic, complete with spectacular views.

Museum entrance is free for adults and children and includes a chance to view the nation’s big gun collection, underground tunnels, and daily performances by the Fort’s resident team of actors.  .

For details of all forthcoming Fort Nelson events – including children’s school holiday events on Tuesdays and Thursdays – visit the website at www.royalarmouries.org

Photocall: You are invited to send a reporter and photographer/camera crew to either of these events at Fort Nelson.

Media contacts:

Catherine Kelly/Joss Loader, Primary PR Ltd.
Telephone: 01903 783832, 07704 130226, 07838 379599.
E-mail: joss@primarypr.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

• The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson houses the national collection of historic cannon and big guns. The museum houses one of the world’s finest collections with over 350 cannon dating back over 600 years and from every corner of the earth. The collection originated at HM Tower of London and has been on display in Hampshire since 1995. Website: www.royalarmouries.org.uk