24 Mar 2023
London, 23 March 2023: In the spirit of bringing communities together, Viking, the world's leading exploration company, is offering UK residents the chance to win £500 in supermarket vouchers towards a neighbourhood event to celebrate King Charles' upcoming Coronation. Thousands of events are expected to take place in every corner of the UK this May as people take to their streets, gardens, parks and community spaces to join in the Coronation celebrations. On Sunday 7 May, neighbours and communities are being invited to share food and fun together at 'Coronation Big Lunches', in a nationwide act of celebration and friendship.
Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking UK and one of the judges of the Viking Coronation Big Lunch Competition, said: “We are all about connecting different cultures so the concept of community is at the heart of everything we do at Viking – on our ships and in the destinations we travel to worldwide – and also closer to home here in the UK. We regularly refer to ourselves as the 'Viking family' which includes our guests, our team members and our crew, as well as the local communities we visit. We are pleased to be able to play a small part in helping to bring a local community together to celebrate the historic occasion of the King's upcoming Coronation – whether it be with friends, family or neighbours.”
The Viking team will be celebrating the Coronation in the UK and across its fleet, alongside partners and members of the extended Viking family. Debbie Wiseman OBE - godmother to Viking Herja, composer in residence at Classic FM and the esteemed composer of Viking's signature scores, 'The Traveller', 'The Explorer' and 'Onwards' — is among 12 composers who have been chosen by King Charles to write two new choral pieces for the ceremony in Westminster Abbey. Debbie was also musical director of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration at Windsor. Viking is also a proud supporter of the Newbury Spring Festival, one of the most popular and successful music festivals in the South of England. The King's Coronation coincides with the opening of this year's festival and music lovers can enjoy a free live broadcast of the service at St Nicolas Church in Newbury. Viking is a long-term supporter of the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) and an official partner of the RA Collection which will be marking the occasion along with Heywood Hill, the Mayfair bookshop with a Royal Warrant, which curates the libraries on all of the Viking ships.
Viking offers a range of shore excursions with a royal connection on its river and ocean itineraries in a variety of different destinations. Guests on Viking's Elegant Elbe itinerary can look forward to visiting Lobkowicz Palace in Prague to see the stately residence of the 400-year Lobkowicz family history. Guests can tour their resplendent palace and mingle with royalty as they survey grand portraits, weaponry, tableware and personal love letters from the Lobkowicz family archives. On Viking's British Isles Explorer itinerary guests can enjoy Privileged Access to Broomhall House - the family home of King Robert the Bruce. A member of the Bruce family greets Viking guests and following a welcome drink, they enjoy a fascinating journey through 1,000 years of Scottish history. Broomhall boasts many elegant furnishings, an internationally important collection of fine art and priceless heirlooms such as the Sword of State of King Robert the Bruce.
To enter the competition, UK residents are being asked to share photos and stories in 300 words or less about their local community, highlighting why they deserve to win the voucher for their own Coronation Big Lunch. Have they got a special story from lockdown which united them? Have they worked together in the past for a charitable cause? Entries to the competition open on Thursday 23 March and T&Cs apply*. The deadline for all entries is Thursday 30 March. The winner will be announced ahead of the Easter bank holiday on Thursday 6 April to allow plenty of time to plan and stock up on all of the essentials.
To enter, UK residents can send an email to uk-marketing@viking.com with the subject line 'Coronation Big Lunch'.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Viking UK Press Office: ukpressoffice@viking.com
Bryony Gammon: bryony.gammon@viking.com
Carys Bedford: carys.bedford@viking.com
Emma Lepley: emma.lepley@viking.com
Telephone: +44 208 780 7945
About Viking
Viking offers culturally enriching, destination-focused river and ocean cruises for travellers curious about the world, its rich culture and varied history.
Viking takes its guests on curated, elegant voyages to some of the most iconic rivers in Europe, Africa and the Far East, allowing a unique window on inspiring destinations and rewarding experiences. Viking revolutionised river cruising with the introduction of its state-of-the-art Viking Longships which, since their introduction in 2012, now make up 80 percent of its river fleet.
In 2015 Viking debuted its maiden season of ocean cruising and in November 2022 Viking took delivery of its newest ocean ship, Viking Neptune, making it the largest small ship travel company. The sophisticated state-of-the-art Viking ocean ships can accommodate 930 guests on itineraries all across the world.
Viking has expanded its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages. Viking Expeditions began sailing in January 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America's Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, launched in September 2022. Viking's custom-built vessel, Viking Mississippi, has debuted offering voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi, between New Orleans and St. Paul.
Join Viking online at:
https://www.facebook.com/VikingCruisesUK/
https://twitter.com/VikingCruises
https://www.instagram.com/vikingcruises
*Competition Terms and Conditions:
1. By entering Viking UK competitions you accept the terms and conditions of the competition as detailed here.
- The competition is open to all UK residents over the age of 18, except employees of Viking Cruises UK, their families, their agents, or anyone professionally connected with the company. Entries are limited to one per person.
- To enter the competition UK residents are being asked to share photos and stories in 300 words or less about their local community, highlighting why they deserve to win the voucher for their own Coronation Big Lunch. To enter an email should be sent to uk-marketing@viking.com with the subject line 'Coronation Big Lunch'.No purchase is necessary to enter.
- The closing date for the competition entries is outlined as 11:59PM 30 March. A member of the Viking UK team will contact the winner to arrange receiving their prize after the closing date. Please ensure that you can be contacted via email. The winner will be chosen by a Viking employee judging panel.
- Entries received after the closing date/time will not be valid.
- Viking UK reserves the right to change the deadline of a competition at any time without prior notice. However, such changes will only occur when Viking UK is forced to act for reasons outside of its control.
- Prize (£500 supermarket voucher) is subject to availability. In the event of a stated prize being unavailable, Viking UK will provide a suitable substitute of equal or greater value.
- Prize cannot be exchanged, refunded or swapped (no cash alternatives) and are non-transferrable.
- Viking UK is not responsible for any liability arising from amendments to, or cancellation of, any competition.
- When entering competitions please be aware that Viking UK typically operate during normal working hours, i.e. Monday-Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
- By entering any Viking UK competition you are automatically granting permission for us to publish your name on our social media platforms should you be a winner. Your entry also automatically grants permission for photos to be taken and published should you be a winner.
- Viking UK does not take responsibility for any entries that are incomplete due to technical errors.
- In the event that a winner is unable to take up the prize for any reason, they must notify Viking UK immediately. In this circumstance, Viking UK reserves the right to offer the prize to another entrant of their choice.
- Viking UK reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions and rules of a competition at any time. The competition can also be held void, cancelled, suspended or amended should it become necessary to do so.
- Viking UK's decision on any aspect of the competition is final and binding, and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Promoter: Viking UK, Nelsons House, 83 Wimbledon Park Side, London, SW19 5LP.
