Race, Fly, Draw and Play Top Trumps this October Half Term at Brooklands Museum

26th - 30th October

During this Half Term, special attractions  at Brooklands Museum (26th – 30th October) include comic-strip-drawing workshops and the opportunity to become a Top Trumps star – along with established family attractions such as exhilarating ‘rides’ in the 4D Theatre, touring the locality by historic bus or racing up the famous Test Hill in an open-topped car*.

The Museum always participates in the annual “Big Draw” campaign: this year’s theme for the campaign is ‘Every Drawing Tells a Story’ and youngsters will be encouraged to choose a person or object from the Museum’s exciting history and create their own comic strip around it. The Big Draw workshops are FREE and will run from 11am - 12:30pm and 1:00 – 3.00pm with all the materials provided.

The Museum’s incredible collection of cars, motorcycles and aircraft from the golden age of racing and flying has recently been immortalised in a special Brooklands version of the popular game of Top Trumps, which first enthralled children in the 1970s and is now known worldwide.  A special Top Trumps photo booth will be at the Museum on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th of the Half Term week, so visitors can capture a picture of themselves and create their very own Top Trump cards from it. Also, giant versions of some of the cards from the Brooklands game will be placed throughout the site alongside the exhibits they feature. Brooklands Top Trumps packs are available from the Museum Shop at £4.99 each.

Meanwhile visitors can try out one of THREE exhilarating virtual rides that run throughout the day, inside the state-of-the-art 4D Theatre. As a special autumn offer, rides in the 4D Theatre are currently only £3 for adults and £2 for children (previously £5 and £3). The Napier-Railton Race Experience transports visitors to the 1930s as the driver speeds round the Banked circuit; in the Red Arrows ride, visitors get the co-pilot’s view as the team embarks on a breath-taking aerobatic display; and British racing legend Mike Hawthorn takes visitors for a lap of the LeMans circuit in his D-Type Jaguar in 1956.

Outside in the Paddock, the hugely popular Car Rides Team will be revving their engines ready to take passengers up Test Hill and along the steepest part of the original Race Track, the Members’ Banking. As long as the weather isn’t too wet, this is the last chance this year to take a car ride, Brooklands style. For a more leisurely ride, London Bus Museum – which is based on the same site – will be providing rides on iconic London double-decker buses with scheduled trips running from the Museum every half hour*.

For our very young visitors, there will be pedal-driven planes and cars to try out for FREE and Bertie Bear, the Brooklands larger-than-life mascot will be roaming the site to meet his fans. The finalists of the Museum’s Young Photographer Competition, on Monday 26th October, will assemble along with a display of the best entries in the Press Hut. Prizes will be presented for the winning photographs, which will remain on display all week.

Finally, a visit to Brooklands wouldn’t be complete without a virtual flight aboard that most iconic of all aircraft – Concorde. The Brooklands Concorde Experience will be open every day so find out what supersonic travel was really like and learn about Brooklands’ leading role in the Concorde story. Booking on arrival is essential to avoid disappointment.

The Sunbeam Café is open all day for refreshments and the Museum shop is stacked with games, models, toys and DVDs for a souvenir to remind visitors of a fantastic day out. Museum admission charges are: Adults £11, Seniors & Students £10, Children (5-16 yrs) £6, Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £30. The Concorde Experience is £5 for adults and £3 for children. All rides in the 4D Theatre are £3 for adults and £2 for children (height and other restrictions apply).

*Car and Bus rides and ascents up Test Hill are subject to weather and operating conditions

For directions, videos, all event information and latest news, go to www.brooklandsmuseum.com or download the FREE app under ‘Brooklands Museum’.