Bristol school receives landmark 10,000th Golden Ticket from Brunel’s SS Great Britain
This week, Brunel’s SS Great Britain presented its 10,000th Golden Ticket to Easton CE Academy in an award ceremony on board the famous ship.
Over the past 10 years, Brunel’s SS Great Britain has presented Golden Tickets to pupils visiting the ship experience from local schools. Each class enjoys their school trip, helping shape their understanding of history, science and engineering. The Golden Tickets allow each pupil to subsequently bring their whole family back another day for free.
Matthew Tanner, CEO of the SS Great Britain Trust, said:
“The aim of this incredibly successful programme is to reach out both to schools and to young people with their whole families who might otherwise not be able to visit Brunel’s SS Great Britain together, so that they can enjoy the experiences, be inspired and share that learning and enthusiasm.”
The Golden Ticket programme has been hugely successfully in making new and engaging connections with different communities across the city.
Alison Hope, Director of the Nisbet Trust, said:
“We are delighted to have supported the Golden Ticket programme which benefits schools and families across Bristol. Enabling people to engage with the heritage on their doorstep through a family day out provides a rich learning experience as well as a connection to their city.”
Easton CE Academy said:
“The Golden Ticket scheme provides an amazing opportunity for so many children in Bristol to visit the attraction and to go back again as enthusiastic ‘guides’ with their whole family.”
Since starting the programme in 2011, Brunel’s SS Great Britain has steadily increased the number of young people invited, enabling more schools and families to benefit from the programme across the city.
During their school visit, children are inspired by passenger stories, take part in interactive workshops that support their education, and learn about the life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The Golden Ticket programme has been funded by the SS Great Britain Trust with invaluable support from the Nisbet Trust and Arts Council England.
The Trust’s important community engagement work in Bristol also continued during the pandemic, thanks to grant support from DCMS, with schools and community groups receiving craft packs, activity boxes and digital resources.
About the Golden Ticket scheme
The Trust’s Golden Ticket scheme provides schools in areas of Bristol experiencing educational deprivation with a free class visit.
Every pupil on the visit then receives a Golden Ticket so they can bring their families back for free.
The scheme began in 2011 and has been running for 10 years.
The scheme has been one of the most successful programmes to actively engage with people from communities across the city.
Key facts about Brunel’s SS Great Britain
Brunel’s SS Great Britain is a five-star and No.1 rated visitor attraction in Bristol (TripAdvisor 2021).
The SS Great Britain now rests in the very dock where Brunel built her – the Great Western Dockyard in Bristol’s Floating Harbour.
Known as ‘the world’s first great ocean liner’, the ship sailed around the world 32 times, travelling more than 1,000,000 miles at sea.
Voted the second Greatest Briton of all time, (after Winston Churchill), Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the 19th century engineering heroes.
At the SS Great Britain’s launch in 1843 she was by far the largest ship in the world; and the first ever to combine a metal hull and screw propulsion.
About Easton Church of England Academy
Easton Church of England Academy is a fully inclusive primary Academy in Bristol. It aims to play a vital role in the community, working with parents and pupils to improve knowledge and skills.
