The Trust is delighted to announce that if the route out of lockdown stays on track, we will be opening the Wing and car park from Wednesday 19 May.
The building will initially be open from Wednesday to Sunday within the usual summer opening hours of 10am to 5pm, and we are keen to welcome old and new faces at our clifftop home.
The Trust is determined to keep staff, volunteers and visitors safe and so Covid-19 precautions will continue to apply. Visitors are asked to keep to a two-metre social distance and wear masks inside the building, except when eating and drinking in the Cockpit Café or if they show a proof of exemption certificate.
The Scramble Experience will be open for booked visits, beginning on the hour every hour and allowing time for staff to clean down the equipment after each group has visited. The shop will be open as usual and visitors are encouraged to pay in both the shop and café using contactless cards.
The exterior features of the site itself, including the National Memorial to the Few, the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall and our replica fighter aircraft, are always accessible using the small pedestrian gate to the right of the main gates.
Visitors who use the pedestrian gate on days when the car park is closed are asked to park sensibly and consider our neighbours, observe social distancing and keep dogs on leads.
The Memorial receives no public funding, and as a result of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the Trust saw a sharp fall in its income last year. Those losses were reduced by Local Restrictions Grant payments, rates deferment and furloughing Wing staff. When The Wing re-opens, the Memorial will need visitors and donations to help it keep going as we return to normal.
As a charity the Trust depends on donations, shop and café sales and Scramble Experience visits for its existence. Please give generously when visiting this tribute to the Few. Meanwhile if you aren’t yet able to visit in person, don’t forget that our online shop is open and offers a wide range of great gift ideas, many signed by members of the Few.
