The challenge for any visitor attraction, however wonderful, is how to refresh the offer to reward repeat visitors and to attract new. Events do their job but powerful destination brands need something relevant, enduring, and credible.
I had learned a lot ten years ago when we developed Knights School and Knights Quest for Alnwick Castle – children get absorbed in stories and they love to dress up. What could be equally compelling in a contemporary garden?
The appeal of fairy tales is timeless and very topical. And when I heard Philip Pullman revelling in the fact that most of them are out of copyright, an idea was born. So when Beauty needed to stop the Wicked Witch from poisoning her, we knew we could get children to enlist the support of all the characters they could find throughout what is, after all, a fairytale Garden. With the expert assistance of Paragon in York, we brought it to life.
The impact on visitor numbers was immediate and dramatic – and is enduring. The hashtag #savebeauty gives it life but as the link to this video blog shows, it’s all about adding fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8twDDBUQLWI
Scott Sherrard 
