Summer of fun at Legoland Windsor

THE LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will be hosting its first-ever 'Summer of Fun' event, set to thrill families throughout the school holidays. The two-month long event will invite guests to join an awesome Beach Party built just for kids, hosted at the resort's all-new 10m long sandy beach, with a host of beach activities for all the family to enjoy.

Plus, the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will be unveiling its first-ever giant sand sculpture. The 20 tonne creation will be sure to wow guests, who can watch the sculptor in action (07 – 10 July) as he builds the spectacle, before the final creation is revealed on 11 July.

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Best wishes . . .

ALL eyes on #Windsor today for the Royal wedding. Today Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot at midday in St George's chapel followed by a carriage procession around Windsor. They will then be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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Enjoy a magical knights stay

THE hotly anticipated LEGOLAND Castle Hotel at Windsor Resort is now open and welcoming guests to enjoy a magical ‘knights’ stay. Situated right on the edge of the theme park, the brand new hotel is home to over 2.1 million LEGO bricks and 657 LEGO models, bringing to life an enchanted world of brave knights, magical wizards and mischievous jesters.

Colourful lego touches and models large and small feature throughout; from the astonishing lobby - dominated by a giant floor to ceiling brick Wizard unleashing magic from his staff - to the tiny 7cm high dragonfly models. With building stations across the Hotel, plus an á la carte Tournament Tavern Restaurant which is home to an impressive 80,500 Lego brick snoozing dragon and a Jester’s Play Den, guests are guaranteed the ultimate stay inside the Castle walls.

Fun Facts about the build:

• It took a team skilled LEGO Model Makers from LEGOLAND Model Shops across the world months to create the hotel’s 657 LEGO models
• Over 2.1 million individual LEGO bricks were used to create the models, bringing the total number of bricks on the resort to over 80 million
• Guests are greeted in the entrance lobby by a spectacular, floor to ceiling, 35,000 LEGO brick wizard unleashing magic from his staff, which comes to life in colour, light and sound at the press of button
• Each model is individually made by hand and every one of the 61 themed bedrooms features a range of them – from owls and swords to dragons and frogs
• The rooms have been created around two themes – Knights and Wizards. Each Knight room is home to a 17kg LEGO dragon which took 60 hours to build. Each Wizard room is home to a family of 3 owls which took 90 hours to build
• Every room contains a safe and children are invited to crack the code by solving hidden clues; then break it open for their exclusive hidden LEGO surprises
• ‘The Golden Dragon Door’ - the official bedtime storybook for the Hotel - was written by 10 year old competition winner Joseph Parkes from Wiltshire.
• 900 LED’s light up the stained glass window in the Tournament Tavern restaurant
• The biggest individual model is a 160,000 LEGO brick knight on horseback standing at 8.5ft tall, designed by 11 year old competition winner, James Waine from Darlington, UK.
• The smallest individual model is a 7cm high dragonfly
• Grey is the most frequently used LEGO brick and Lavender is the least

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Christmas at Legoland

AT Christmas Bricktacular at #Legoland #Florida,from December 17-18 & 24-30 families can boock time to marvel at the more than 30-foot-tall LEGO Christmas tree, made with 270,000 LEGO and DUPLO bricks, and pose for a perfect holiday picture with a life-size LEGO Santa, reindeer and sleigh.

Meanwhile . . .

This Christmas season at the #LEGOLAND #Windsor Resort, England promises to be the best yet, with 12 days of festive fun complete with 20 rides and attractions*, awesome Christmas themed activities, music and magic and for the first time ever, there will be a Christmas takeover of the world famous Miniland with mini Christmas lights, Christmas market and a special ‘flying’ appearance from Santa.

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Picture Credit: clement127 flickr.com/photos/57763385@N03/16070248496 Season's greetings via photopin

Ballot opens for tickets to the HMQ90 Windsor celebration

MEMBERS of the public have the opportunity to win a free ticket for The #HMQ90 #Celebration on The Long Walk at #WindsorCastle May 15. This is a part of the Queen's 90th birthday celebration to be held from May 12 to May 15 in the castle’s private grounds. The ballot of 5,000 tickets closes on March 14. 

The event offers the opportunity to be involved in a pre-performance party on the final night of the event and watch a live-screening of a television broadcast from the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park.

The show tells the story of the Queen's life encompassing a reign spanning more than 60 years, starting from when she was born in 1926, through World War Two, to The Coronation in 1953. Performers and displays will include The Oman Royal Cavalry, The New Zealand Army Band, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Azerbaijan Cossack Riders, State Carriages from The Royal Mews, The South Australian Police Band, The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, The Fijian Army Dancers and Band, 100 military and Commonwealth pipers, and The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Applications for the ballot can be completed online by filling out a short form, which can be found at www.hmq90.com or they can be applied for in writing to: Celebration on The Long Walk, The Old Booking Hall, Windsor Royal Shopping, Thames St, Windsor SL4 1PJ. 

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Christmas in … Royal Windsor

QUEEN ELIZABETH doesn’t spend #Christmas in #Windsor – she heads to Norfolk – but there’s plenty for visitors to see and do in the town. 

Windsor Castle … December sees the state apartments transformed with festive decorations, Christmas trees, and dining tables laid for a Regency-themed feast showing how George IV celebrated Christmas at the castle in the early-19th century.

Professional storyteller Olivia Armstrong will return to the fireside in St George's Hall to give visitors a glimpse into Christmas past at the castle.

On selected dates in December there are private evening tours. Led by an expert guide, the tour offers a special behind-the-ropes experience. All tickets include a glass of champagne, a copy of the official souvenir guide and a 20% discount at Royal Collection Trust shops.

Windsor Castle is open daily 09.45 – 16.15 (last admission 3pm) except December 25/26.

Windsor Great Park … The park plays a pivotal role in Christmas celebrations in the Royal Borough – from supplying Christmas trees to providing the perfect place to walk or jog off Christmas calories.

From December 1 to the 31st, visitors have free entry to 35-acre Savill Garden, the highlights of which include:

Winter-flowering conservatory plants

Colourful dogwood stems in a mass planting in the Winter Beds

Attractive flower heads of grasses – well represented in the Dry Garden, the New Zealand Garden, and the Rose Garden

Skating … Now in its sixth year at Alexandra Gardens, the ice rink is open until January. It’s open daily (except December 25) from 10am to 9pm.

www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/christmas_events.htm


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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7786198@N03/6310685851">Wool Felt Nativity 2011</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)

Celebrate in Windsor

THE Royal Borough of Windsor has reasons to celebrate this year …

Waterloo at Windsor: 1815 – 2015: 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the defeat of Napoleon. George IV created the Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle and filled with portraits of those instrumental in the victory, chief among them, of course, the Duke of Wellington. 

Throughout 2015, Waterloo at Windsor: 1815 – 2015 combines a themed trail through the castle’s State Apartments with a display of prints and drawings that explore the battle and its aftermath. The trail highlights objects seized on the battlefield by the victors, including silver, furniture, weapons, and Napoleon’s red coat, which was presented to George IV by Wellington's ally, Field-Marshal Gebhardt von Blücher.

Magna Carta 800: This historic anniversary will be marked with a river relay led by Gloriana, the Queen's Row Barge. The weekend of June 13-14 will see a flotilla of boats make its way from upstream of Cookham to Runnymede. This stretch of the Thames provides plenty of viewing opportunities, where visitors can walk in the footsteps of King John across the ancient riverside meadows at Runnymede and visit Windsor Castle. Windsor features in one of four special Magna Carta 800 trails created to mark the anniversary of the sealing of the 'greatest constitutional document of all times'. The four- day London to Windsor itinerary covers the British Library (home of Magna Carta); Runnymede (where it was signed with the Great Seal) and Windsor Castle.

The Queen's Walkway: Later in the year, a new walkway in Windsor will celebrate the Queen as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. The four-mile accessible route starts and finishes at Windsor Castle's King Henry VIII Gate, and links 63 places of interest.

Work on the walkway started in January and will be completed by September 9, the date the Queen becomes the country’s longest-serving sovereign … serving 23,226 days and 16 hours, and overtaking the record currently held by Queen Victoria.


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Picture Credit: "Windsor Castle" by Daniel Hass (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons; 

What to do in Windsor …

ROYAL WINDSOR'S attractions are open during the Christmas and New Year holiday for winter garden walks, a peek at festive Windsor Castle, calorie burning on ice, or a gallery's cultural inspiration.

Windsor Castle is the planet’s oldest and largest inhabited castle. 

Queen Elizabeth spends Christmas at her country home in Norfolk, which means visitors can see the State apartments transformed with festive decorations. In the State dining room, a table of glittering silver-gilt from the Grand Service takes centre stage. Closed December 25-26, then open to December 31.

The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park comprises 35 acres of colour and scent. 

One of England’s finest ornamental garden includes The Queen Elizabeth Temperate House, where poinsettias provide festive cheer in the lead up to Christmas and hyacinths and scented narcissi fill the house with perfume through to January and February. The garden is closed only on December 25 and 26.

Windsor on Ice offers a great family day out regardless of the weather. The covered rink is open daily (except Christmas Day) until Sunday January 4.

Dedicated to one of the most original British painters of his generation, the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham has the world's largest collection of his works in the former Methodist Chapel he attended as a child.  Closed December 25.

www.windsor.gov.uk

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Picture Credit: FromTop - Windsor Castle - "Estatua de la Reina Victoria en la colina del castillo, Windsor, Inglaterra" by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons; "Bridge, Savill Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 1582279" by John Myers via Wikimedia Commons

Nature at LEGOLAND

LEGOLAND Windsor - www.legoland.co.uk - has joined forces with the RSPB to give nature a home in a specially created LEGO wildlife garden in the heart of the resort.

With unique habitats made entirely from LEGO bricks, the garden has been created to mark the first anniversary of the RSPB's Giving Nature a Home campaign.

The resort's model makers have created six habitats from thousands of individual bricks – a frogitat, a series of hogitats (hedgehog houses) plus a bird bath and bat box – in landscaped greenery. A wealth of wildlife is already on the resort's 150 acres, and the hope is that other species will be attracted to the garden.

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