Published: 10 August 2020
With a range of “COVID safe” measures in place, The Tank Museum successfully held its Tiger Day event over the weekend.
The event, postponed from April, was spread over two days in order to minimise crowding.
With a cap that saw only ¼ of the numbers normally attracted to the event, demand for tickets well exceeded supply, with visitors eager to see Tiger 131 in action and explore the Museum’s latest exhibition World War Two: War Stories.
Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing said: “Delivering Tiger Day has been a real boost for the whole organisation having been through some challenging times – and now we can look forward to Tiger Day 14 in September.”
The Tank Museum was closed for three months and forced to cancel TANKFEST, its major annual fundraising event due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
But careful planning and a range of new measures meant that the museum could go-ahead with its revised Tiger Day 13.
“We have enhanced cleaning, a one-way system, sanitising stations and plenty of space to promote social distancing,” said Nik.
Post-visit surveys have been sent to every visitor since the Museum reopened – and the feedback has been used to modify or enhance measures.
“From the experience we have gained since reopening in July, we now know we can safely accommodate 1,000 visitors on our site and for that reason we encourage visitors to book online in advance to secure their space.”
The Tank Museums latest exhibition World War Two: War Stories received an excellent reception from Tiger Day visitors.
The new exhibition features a complete re-display of The Tank Museum’s World War Two collection in a 21st Century exhibition, narrated by the accounts of British veterans.
“Over the last ten years we have worked to record as many video interviews with World War Two British tank crew veterans as we possibly could,” Nik said.
“Many of these fascinating and often emotional interviews are seen in the new exhibition, where they help us tell the story of the conflict from their perspective.
“They bring a more personal touch to the story than we have ever been able to achieve before.”
Alongside the Allied and enemy tanks from the conflict, a range of newly displayed artefacts compliment the stories, such as the large Union Flag that flew over the besieged North African city of Tobruk in 1941.
Tiger Day 14 is set to take place in September, with tickets available now and demand for the limited number of places expected to be high.
The Tank Museum is now open every day. For more information see tankmusuem.org.
