LOCAL BOY CALLS ON DARLINGTON FOR SUPPORT TO WIN NATIONAL COMPETITION
James Waine, 11, is shortlisted in the national LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel design competition with once in a lifetime prize
Eleven year old James Waine from Darlington has beaten off hundreds of entrants from across the UK to be shortlisted in a LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort design competition. With voting now open, James is calling on local support to help him win the once in a lifetime opportunity to be an official designer for the attraction’s new Castle Hotel.
Ahead of the knights and wizard-themed hotel’s opening in July next year, the competition tasked children aged 2 to 16 to enter their castle-themed drawings, battling for the chance to see their design brought to life as a 6ft LEGO® model to stand in the Castle Hotel reception.
The prize will also see the winning child place the final brick on their model at a grand unveil ceremony in July, before becoming one of the first guests to stay at the magical new hotel.
James’ knight on horseback design, decorated with shields and interactive buttons, was selected by the LEGOLAND judging panel based on his creativity, originality and the entertainment the model would provide for visitors to the hotel.
On hearing he was shortlisted James commented, “I can’t believe I’ve got into the final! I want to be a theme park designer when I’m older so it would be really cool to win!”
James faces competition from fellow shortlistees, Charlie Hamdi, aged nine from Hereford, whose entry was a welcome flag accompanied by a knight and phoenix, and Enya, aged nine from West Sussex, who designed a wizard and dragon with face holes for guests to peep through.
Voting is now open on the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort Facebook page (Official Legoland Windsor Facebook) until the 8th January, for followers to decide which awesome design will be brought to life by the LEGOLAND Model Makers. The picture that receives the most reactions on Facebook will be crowned the winner.
About LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort
The LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is a unique family theme park where children aged 2 -12 can take to the road, soar through the skies and sail the seas in complete safety. It has over 55 interactive rides, attractions, live shows, building workshops and driving schools, not to mention a staggering 80 million LEGO®bricks, all set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland.
There are six other LEGOLAND® parks in the world – LEGOLAND® Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND® California in the U.S.A, LEGOLAND® Florida, LEGOLAND® Deutschland in Germany, LEGOLAND® Dubai and LEGOLAND® Malaysia.
About Merlin Entertainments Plc
Merlin Entertainments plc is a global leader in location based, family entertainment. As Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 100 attractions, 13 hotels and 5 holiday villages in 24 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable experiences to its more than 60 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its c.27,000 employees (peak season). Visit Merlin Entertainments for more information.
