Castle charge was uncharitable
What a shame that Castle Cornet was charging the extortionate admission fee of £10 during the GSPCA Castle Day on Sunday 5 October. The charity missed out on a large amount of footfall along with there being many disappointed children. I would have been happy to have paid a reduced admission rate.
The castle would have made more than enough back with sales from the gift shop and cafe. Such a sad shame that a charity lost out due to greed.
HAYLEY LE MAITRE,
9, Millmount,
La Charroterie,
St Peter Port,
GY1 1EL.
Editor's footnote: A spokesman for Culture and Leisure replies:
'The Culture and Leisure Department is saddened that anyone was disappointed about what was a very successful event that was enjoyed by more than 900 people and raised a significant amount of awareness for the GSPCA and the amazing work they do.
The standard adult single admission price to Castle Cornet is £10; there is a highly attractive Discovery Pass which allows unlimited access to all Guernsey Museum sites, public events, activities and exhibitions for 12 months for just £16 per adult, with accompanying children being added free to the pass holder. The promotional poster stated that "Normal castle admission charges applied" and offered information on the Discovery Pass.
The department welcomes charitable organisations to its sites, as their high footfall and unique locations provide an excellent opportunity to help increase awareness of the charity and the event taking place.
Steve Byrne, GSPCA manager, has told us that, "It was an amazing day and it would be great if we could do another next year."
Castle Cornet provides a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is attending an event to also visit the five museums, see the castle cannon being fired and enjoy discovering more of Guernsey's cultural heritage, at the same time as supporting an event. This fits in line with the department's mandate.
In the case of the Animal Castle event, the venue and all of its services and staff were provided free from a commercial charge to help support the charity. In the absence of an event sponsor, normal admission charges were agreed with the charity. Proceeds from normal admission costs go toward offsetting the upkeep of one of Guernsey's most high profile and iconic landmark assets, thereby helping to reduce being over-reliant on States revenue budget, and ultimately the taxpayer.
The department continues to work hard to encourage better utilisation of its heritage assets. So far this year, a record 53,845 visitors have been to the castle, which is an increase of 12% compared to 2013. Many more organisations now use the castle for their own public or private events, which in turn allows more people, both locals and tourists, to enjoy the castle experience.'
