22 Apr 2015
The National Space Centre has teamed up with glamourous camping specialist The Dandelion Hideaway to offer a unique Space Race experience. Camp out under the stars for an evening of family astronomy, workshops and craft sessions.
Book the family into one of the gorgeous canvas cottages at The Dandelion Hideaway, located on the southern fringe of The National Forest, for the weekend of 5/6 June and launch off into the Space Race Challenge.
With expert help and guidance from National Space Centre staff, you'll build and launch rockets, design a team mission patch, handle real space artefacts, try space food and launch and land an egg – from The Dandelion Hideaway's own chicken coop!
A spokesperson for the National Space Centre said: “We hope to create a fantastic afternoon and evening event for enthusiasts, novices and the curious, to enjoy astronomy and science, in an inspiring outdoor environment.”
The Dandelion Hideaway is a working farm and the luxurious canvas cottages are set in the gently undulating, beautiful Leicestershire countryside on the edge of The National Forest. Throughout your stay you can also enjoy farm walks and get out and about in the Forest – when you're not busy planning your mission to Mars!
Saturday 6 June will start with a briefing session, before the afternoon action begins with Rocket Build Challenge, Artefact Hunt and a Life in Space talk around the Fire Pit.
Then you'll endeavour to Launch and Land an Egg before a Cosmic Chill Out around the camp fire: challenge your sense of taste and smell with astronaut food and the smells of space! Watch some fun marshmallow science!
Then, Blast Off into Sun Down – the whizz bang part of the night when the whole group will build a comet and launch a real rocket.
You'll end the evening with a tour of the night sky, with the help of a telescope on the veranda of your canvas cottage, spotting satellites and looking at the planets Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Experts from the National Space Centre will be on hand to explain the night sky and help families find the constellations.
The Dandelion Hideaway is offering a great introductory price of £450 for this two night weekend in a luxury canvas cottage sleeping six guests. To make a booking for the weekend visit their website and book for a 2 night stay starting Friday 5th June.
To make the most of your visit to The Dandelion Hideaway, you will find Hicks Lodge, the National Forest Cycle Centre within easy reach, with its nine miles of safe off-road cycling, and Twycross Zoo, with its new giraffe enclosure complete with open air paddock and high level viewing platform.
For more ideas of things to see and do in the area, see the National Forest & Beyond Visitor Guide: http://www.nationalforest.org/document/visitor/National_Forest_Visitors_Guide_2015.pdf
The weekend at The Dandelion Hideaway is the first of three Astro Camps within Leicestershire this summer. The National Space Centre is out on the road to Long Meadow Farm on 20 June and to Bosworth Water Park on 4 July. See more here:
http://www.spacecentre.co.uk/special-events/astro-camps
Ends
Media contact: Carol Rowntree Jones, Media Relations Officer, National Forest Company, on 01283 551211; email: crowntreejones@nationalforest.org or Richard Drakeley, Tourism Development & Promotions Officer, 01283 551211 email: rdrakeley@nationalforest.org
For more information on The National Forest see www.nationalforest.org
Digital images are available. Contact media@nationalforest.org
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The National Forest & Beyond is a partnership of East Staffordshire Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, South Derbyshire District Council and the National Forest Company, brought together to promote The National Forest and the surrounding area as a destination for short breaks and days visits.
- The National Forest area covers 200 square miles of the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Its objective is to increase woodland cover within its boundaries from an initial six per cent to about a third. No multi-purpose forest on this scale has been created in the UK for one thousand years. To date the proportion of woodland cover in the Forest has more than trebled to 19.8 per cent and in 2012 HRH the Duke of Cambridge planted the eight millionth tree in the Forest.
- Year by year, The National Forest has been steadily turning what was once one of the least wooded areas of England into a multi-purpose, sustainable forest. The National Forest provides environmental, social and economic benefits, including landscape enhancement, creation of new wildlife habitats and major new access and leisure opportunities. It is an excellent example of sustainable development – with environmental improvement providing a stimulus both to economic regeneration and to community pride and activity.
- To achieve these objectives, the National Forest Company leads the creation of The National Forest, working in partnership with landowners, local authorities, private business, voluntary organisations and local communities and has strong support from Government, politicians and the public. The Company receives grant in aid from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- The National Forest Company's Triennial Review by Central Government in 2013 stated: “Many [stakeholders] stressed the need for the continued role of the NFC to maintain momentum and ensure that the long term aims for The National Forest are achieved. The importance of a 'truly sustainable landscape scale project' was stressed, with the need for continued objectives across a wide agenda including economic growth, woodland culture and habitat networks.”
- In 2008, the National Forest Company and partners won the inaugural Sustainable Development UK Award, for their work in Ashby Woulds, at the heart of The National Forest.
