PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD – POST COVID COLLABORATION BRINGS REVITALISED NEW OFFER FOR REOPENING
The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) and the Mary Rose (MR) are delighted to announce that they are coming together in collaboration to deliver a new and revitalised offer for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard visitors, when they reopen together on 24 August 2020. This will include a new joint ticket, which will enable visitors to explore all of the dockyard’s extraordinary ships, galleries and experiences with one, simplified ticket, which will go on sale at 12pm on the 6 August 2020.
Both organisations chose to close their attractions in March 2020, responding to the escalating Coronavirus crisis. Since then both have been clear about the devastating impact the loss of admissions has had on their financial position, with NMRN recently confirming emergency funding from the Treasury to help fill its £6 million funding gap and MR fronting a high profile fundraising appeal for Independent Museums, in an attempt to recover its £2.2 million losses.
When the dockyard reopens it will be with both organisations working together. A range of new tickets will be available, a new look brand will be launched and both organisations will work in unison to offer a simplified and safe day out for the residents, and visitors of Portsmouth.
Director General of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Dominic Tweddle says “Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has changed its offer a number of the times over the years, and indeed the Mary Rose Museum has been part of a joint ticket in the past. What is important is that we want to leave our visitors with extraordinary experiences and lasting memories and that means that we are always reviewing what we have to offer and seeing if we can improve it”.
Chief Executive of the Mary Rose, Helen Bonser-Wilton says “For both organisations this is about more than joint ticketing, this is a shared collaborative approach which spans both businesses and enables us to work together to operate, market and improve the dockyard. Our aim is to encourage more people to visit the Dockyard, to visit Portsmouth and to enjoy the incredible naval and maritime history we share”.
Visitors will, from 12 noon on the 6 August, be able to purchase the new ‘Ultimate Explorer’ ticket meaning that they are able to include a visit to the Mary Rose alongside all of the other attractions, including HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, as many times as they want for a year. Tickets will go on sale via the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard website.
Visitors who hold existing 12 month tickets for either Mary Rose or Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, will still be able to use them as per their original terms and conditions. In addition both organisations have agreed to extend tickets to account for the closure of the sites, further details will be available via the PHD website. For the first six weeks after tickets go on sale, existing ticket holders will also be eligible for a time-limited reopening upgrade deal. This means that they can upgrade their Mary Rose or PHD ticket to a new ‘Ultimate Explorer’ year-long ticket’ for 30% less than the face value.
Entrance to the Dockyard will also be simplified with one entry point to the site, providing a more streamlined experience for the visitor and helping to manage the social distancing requirements that will need to be in place for the site to reopen. Both organisations have worked closely together to ensure that all the recommended safety measures are in place and have gained accreditation with Visit Britain’s ‘Good to Go’ COVID-19 scheme.
All visitors will be required to pre book before their visit including those in receipt of memberships and annual tickets, to manage the numbers onsite safely. Designated time slots will be made available throughout the day and visitors will be asked to book on to them. Group visits are suspended until the current situation improves. In line with the latest government guidance, visitors will also be required to wear a mask whilst in the individual attractions and sanitiser stations will be available throughout the visit.
When booking tickets, visitors will also be offered the chance to make a donation, which will be split between the charities and assist with improving their long term financial security further to the Covid-19 impact. For anyone wishing to donate you can visit the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard website https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/ or https://www.nmrn.org.uk/get-involved/donate for the NMRN and www.maryrose.org/supportus for the Mary Rose.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Becca Hubbard, becca.hubbard@NMRN.org.uk, Phone Number: 07593441056
Sally Tyrrell, S.Tyrrell@maryrose.org, Phone Number: 07751360458
