Families can join in special party nights at Wookey Hole on June 2, 3, 4 and 5 as the country takes a four-day break to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s magnificent reign.

The famous tourist attraction will be opening its doors with music, entertainment and a two-course carvery dinner in the Big Top restaurant as the witch leads the tributes and toasts to the Queen.

Daniel Medley, General Manager at Woopkey Hole Caves said: “It is going to be a weekend that people will remember all their lives so we wanted to provide a venue where families can get together and have some traditional fun.

“We are supplying the food – a good traditional English roast dinner, live music, a disco for a knees-up and fireworks at 11pm. Party entry will also include free old pennies to use on some of the penny arcade machines dating back to the Coronation.

“There will also be a free round on our 9-hole Crazy Golf course for the whole family and our Mill and indoor play areas will be open until 10pm so the kids can let off a bit of steam while Mum and Dad enjoy the celebration.

“It is not a weekend to stay at home and be on your own but one where the whole nation will want to come together to celebrate. Although the Queen has never visited Wookey Hole we want to show her that we are among her most loyal subjects – and give families a night to remember at the same time.”

There will be live entertainment from actress and singer Sunny Van der Pas, who will sing songs from Broadway shows as well as other popular hits from throughout the Queen’s reign.

Tickets for the event are available from Wookey Hole Caves at £16 per adult and £14 for children, including all entertainment and the meal.

Click here for more info and to Book Online..

The owners of the famous showcaves say a witch’s broom used for years as a measuring stick show the water levels have been dropping year on year with 2012 showing a further drop.

Although scientists and the Environment Agency use sophisticated methods for measuring rainfall those who spend every day in the caves use notches on an old witches broomstick to gauge the extent of the water level decline.

Daniel Medley, General Manager at Wookey Hole Caves said: “For many years cave guides have dipped an old witches broomstick into the water at the same point and the notches on it show the water level. It is dropping year on year. It is not scientific but it shows that despite the rain we have had recently water levels are still very low.

“It has to be appreciated that this water has percolated down through 1,000 feet of limestone before visitors see it as the River Axe in the caves. Although it looks very still it is in fact flowing quite quickly and rises and falls depending on rainfall.

“What has been noticeable over the last few weeks is that although it seems to have been raining a lot the water is not getting down to the cave floor. It shows that the authorities are right in declaring a drought.”

Wookey Hole Caves have provided shelter from the rain for thousands of years and the wet weather saw thousands of people flock to the caves as somewhere dry to go with their children at weekends and in the school holidays.

Daniel Medley said: “Unlike many other tourist attractions the rain is not bad for us. People with children especially want somewhere where they can get out and about and burn off some energy but stay dry.

“As well as the caves we have the Big Wizard’s play castle and the Play Zone where kids can jump around inside for as long as they like! We also have an indoor circus show and the Old Penny Arcade – basically we are the largest indoor attraction in the region.”

Wookey Hole Caves were formed by rain from the Mendips carving out caverns in the limestone. Scientists believe one unique domed cavern was formed by the effects of swirling water thousands of years ago when the river was in flood.

The legend of the witch is believed to have started many hundreds of years ago who blamed an old woman who lived in the caves for the lack of water flowing on to their land during a previous drought.

A monk from Glastonbury dealt with the troublesome woman by sprinkling her with Holy Water and claiming she had turned to stone. Visitors can still see the stalagmite that locals believed was the petrified witch.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Wookey Hole Caves by Empica. For further information contact Martin Powell (01275) 394400.

Wookey Hole is proud to announce the Jubilee Party on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th of June!

Party every night in true style at Wookey Hole. Party starts at 6pm in the Big Top Restaurant and there is so much included:

• One round of Crazy Golf on our 9-hole course
• Mill and Play Areas open until 10pm
• Two course Carvery Dinner
• LIVE entertainment from Sunny Van der Pas singing songs from Broadway to Bublé
• Penny Arcade with FREE pennies
• Evening Disco throughout the party
• Fireworks Display at 11pm

Adult tickets just £16 and children tickets just £14!

Book Online Here

Jubilee Party Hotel Offer

From £129 per room based on 2 adults and 2 children

Includes 2 tickets into Wookey Hole and a round of Crazy Golf

Book online and save 5%

1 night’s accommodation in a family room for 4 (2 adults and 2 children)

• FREE!   2 course evening meal for Dad
• FREE!   2 drinks of Dad’s choice
• FREE!   Upgrade to a cooked breakfast for Mum (other guests continental breakfast, upgrade available)
• VIP Tickets to Wookey Hole’s Attractions for 4 ( 2 adults and 2 children)

From £145 per room

£75 additional night

Treat Dad to a weekend away for Father’s Day this year, at the Wookey Hole Hotel.  With a free evening meal, a free drink of Dad’s choice* and a free upgrade to a cooked breakfast, Dad really will be spoilt!

FREE Sky Sports in the Big Top Restaurant during the day and in the Hotel in the evening, Dad can watch his favourite team playing whilst the children choose a DVD from our extensive film collection.

*Drinks allocation of no more than £7 – no exchanges or differences paid.

Your stay includes over 20 Fantastic Attractions

Book Online HERE
or call:01749 672243 / email:hotel@wookey.co.uk

Book Online HERE

A staggering 700,000 abused, bullied and worried children are expected to need ChildLine by the end of 2012 and without YOUR help, ChildLine can’t be on the phone and online for them.

The clocks go back this month and we all Gain An Hour, so we are asking you to give an hour of what YOU earn – and if you can get 10 people from YOUR company to donate an hour of their time then WOOKEY hole Caves have promised they will send your BOSS in their spooky cave for an hour all alone!

Visit www.heart.co.uk for more details >>

27/07/2011

A Cave Aged Cheddar from Dorset based cheese makers, Ford Farm Wookey Hole Cave age Cheddar  has been crowned Supreme Champion at this year’s International Cheese Awards, winning the accolade ahead of more than 3,700 other competitors.

A panel of 150 expert judges from the dairy industry judged the Farm’s Traditional Farmhouse Cheddar which was made in April 2010 as best in show.

Ford Farm has been dedicated to the art of traditional cheese making for decades.  Five years, ago, Mike Pullin, Managing Director of the Farm decided to revive the age old tradition of maturing cheese in caves.

‘We persuaded Gerry Cottle, owner of the Wookey Hole Caves to dedicate an area of the caves to our truckles.  The concept was really successful.  From our point of view, the Caves provide a fantastic environment for cheese maturing due to the constant humidity and all year round temperature which results in the cheese taking on a deliciously distinctive, earthy flavour. From Gerry’s point of view, the cheese provides an added attraction to visitors to Wookey Hole.

‘We know the cheese is good.  We have won several of awards and we have fans all over the world who praise it regularly.  But to have this verified by a panel of world experts is more than we could possibly hope for.’

Richard Paul, Nantwich Cheese Show Chairman, commented: “We had more than 3,700 entries in all and for the Wookey Hole  Aged Cave Cheddar to have beaten them all to become Supreme Champion means it is a truly exceptional cheese.

“Our panel of 150 expert judges are looking for flavour, for overall appearance and for the truly remarkable – and with our Supreme Champion, along with all the other category winners and runner ups, they found it.’

Ford Farm Wookey Hole Cave Aged Cheddar is available at Wookey Hole and  nationally from the deli counter in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and selected independents across the country.

Are they taking a well-earned holiday
after ten long years of appearing in Harry Potter films?

NO ONE WANTS TO BE A WIZARD
Audition Cancelled

If you think Rupert Murdoch’s looking glum, you should see Gerry Cottle, entrepreneur, Circus icon and owner of legendary West Country attraction Wookey Hole. With its spectacular haunted caverns, dinosaur park, and resident Witch of Wookey Hole, all it needed, thought Gerry, was its own wizard Wizard, so up went the cry and off went the recruitment ads.

But so far there’ve been no takers whatsoever for the role of Wookey’s resident Wizard, despite the extremely attractive and exciting venue and a whopping £60k per annum pro rata salary, which is a lot more than most of what’s on offer down at the Job Centre.

“We can’t understand it…” muses Director  Daniel Medley.  “When we recruited our Witch last year there were over 500 hopefuls arriving on their broomsticks and you could barely hear yourself for the cackling, but this time…well, we’ve had to pull the auditions: even though the press and TV were keen to come and cover it, we haven’t managed to attract the Wizards themselves. We’ve even advertised in Witch? Magazine.

“Perhaps they’re striking in protest at what happened to The News of The World, or perhaps the Grand High Murdock, Wizard of Wizards, has warned them off accepting our excellent pay and conditions. It would be typical of his underhand tactics.  At this rate we’ll have to kit Gerry himself out with a pointy hat and a cauldron or two, and that won’t be a pretty sight”.

Wookey Hole is still interested in hearing from any would-be wizards. The minimum qualifications for the £60,000 post are

• A WHITE BEARD -  can be natural or completely artificial
• MAGICAL POWERS - You need to be able to perform convincing magic and cast spells
• WITCH- COMPLIANCE – must be happy working alongside scary hags and witch-babes
• ANIMAL MAGICAL -  must show empathy with cats, owls, frogs, children and vampire bats
• TIME TRAVEL -  You must be able to work at weekends and during school holidays
• PHONE HACKING is no substitute for proper mind-reading so DON’T DO IT.

For more information please contact Daniel Medley 01749 672243

wizard@wookey.co.uk

Wookey Hole Caves, The Mill, Wookey Hole, Somerset BA5 1BB

WIZARD AUDITIONS CANCELLED