The child you are applying on behalf of will be eligible if they;

1) Are aged 2-18 years old, and

2) Are currently facing one of the below:

Serious/Long-term Illness

Registered disability

Living in a permanent or temporary care home

Living in foster care

Recently adopted

Impacted by domestic violence/abuse/bullying

Has a terminally ill parent/legal guardian/sibling

Has a recently deceased parent/legal guardian/sibling

Registered Young Carer

If you would like to apply for a Magical Day Out there are some specific forms of documentation that we will need from you. All of the information we need must be sent on official headed paper, with an official name and logo on it. It must also include the child’s full name, date of birth (or the age of the child if documentation is dated) and confirmation of diagnosis/reason.

If you are applying due to disability you will need to provide either:

• A hospital letter 
• A letter from a senior teacher at the school the child is in attendance, or
• A statement of Educational Needs (SEN) or Educational, Health & Care Plan (EHCP).

If you are applying for a child who is in care you will need to provide one of the below:

• A letter from the foster agency
• Letter from the local authority
• If the foster child has a serious long-term illness or disability alternatively you can supply a hospital letter (please see above under disability)
• Applications for children in a care home must be made by the care home directly. If you are a team member of the care home please apply via the organisation application form

If you are applying for a child who has been recently adopted you will need to provide either:

• An adoption certificate or
• A letter from the adoption agency

If you are applying on behalf of a child impacted by domestic violence/abuse/bullying you will need to provide either:

• Court Order or any letter from court/police/solicitor/refuge or
• Letter from the Headteacher of the school the child is in attendance of

If you are applying for a child who has a terminally ill parent/guardian/sibling you will need to provide:

• A hospital letter 
• We also require supporting evidence to confirm that the child detailed on the application is the sibling or child of the person who is ill. This can be in the form of a birth certificate or a tax credit form if it’s a sibling who has a terminal illness (the tax credit must detail both children’s names).

If you are applying for a child who is a young carer you must provide either:

• A letter from a young carer’s organisation or
• A letter from the Headteacher/senior teacher at their school
• If the child is not a registered young carer then we will require paperwork to show the parent/guardian diagnosis and tax credit, birth certificate or similar to prove parent/guardianship of the child.

If you are applying for a child who has a recently deceased parent you will need to provide:

• A copy of the child's birth certificate including the deceased parent's name
• A copy of the parent's death certificate. 
• Should you not be registered on the child's birth certificate you will need to provide a change of guardianship or official document with the parents and child's name on it. 

We cannot accept the following as proof of condition or circumstance for a Magical Day Out:

• DLA's, Personal Independence Payments, or DWP letters
• Badges or children's disability registration passes
• Appointment letters
• Doctors' surgery letters without headed paper and logos
• Handwritten letters with handwritten children's details
• Documents in Microsoft Word format

Applications submitted with the above documentation cannot be assessed and will be cancelled.

You can only experience a Magical Day Out once.

Due to the high demand for tickets, we only accept applications from families that we have not previously supported. This is regardless of when tickets were received previously or if your family have additional children who meet our eligibility criteria.

Application processing times vary based on demand but typically take up to 4 weeks* for individual applications and 8 weeks for group applications.

Once you have applied you will receive an automated email from us, with a little more detail on the next stages of our process. We thank you for your patience as we carefully assess each application. We aim to complete eligibility checks within 10 days for Time-Sensitive applications – please see ‘What is a Time-Sensitive Application?’ FAQ below.

*at present, our application processing times for individuals are taking up to 8 weeks. We will regularly review and update accordingly

You will need to provide supporting documentation and some personal information.

When you click the Apply button, you will be taken to our online application form, where we will ask a series of questions in relation to your child’s eligibility for a day out. Please read through these FAQs before you apply to find all the information you will need to complete our online application form. You will need to attach some documentation as proof of eligibility, ready for assessment. Please note that all your information is safeguarded appropriately by our team as per our privacy policy, which you can read here.

Once an application is submitted, the charity cannot accommodate requests to change the attraction choice of your Magical Day Out. This includes requests to cancel your original application and reapply.

Please take your time in deciding where you would like to go on your Magical Day Out. We ask that you consider the travelling distance and suitability of an attraction BEFORE submitting your application. Please review the following link to view all the Merlin attractions on offer:

https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/about-us/our-locations/

Planning to visit one of our LEGOLAND attractions?

Please take care to select the correct LEGOLAND attraction for you.

LEGOLAND Windsor Resort UK, based in Berkshire with 55 rides and attractions all in one park for children ages 2 -12 years

LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Based in Birmingham and Manchester in the UK with 2 rides, 4D movie, and build stations for children ages 3 – 10 years

We will only ever email you.

When you apply through our website you will receive an automated response via email to let you know that we have received your application, this may go into your junk folder so please check there. All correspondence in relation to your application will come to you via email. We cannot accept any responsibility for any missed emails or missed days out because of missed emails, so please check your junk emails regularly.

No, please do not arrange your visit until you have received confirmation from us.

When you have had your application accepted, and you have received an email from us, you will be sent gift codes to book your Magical Day Out on your chosen attraction’s website. Before this, you will not be able to pre-select a date of entry to the attraction. Please do not assume you will be able to attend specific dates before you have received your gift codes. We cannot accommodate requests for tickets for birthdays or special occasions, and therefore do not take responsibility for any pre-booked accommodation or travel before you have received your gift codes.

Here at Merlin’s Magic Wand, we provide tickets for children with life-limiting conditions. Should you need to apply for a Magical Day Out for a child with a rapidly deteriorating medical condition, we would class this as a time-sensitive application. Please note, applying for time-sensitive applications due to birthdays or anniversaries does not qualify as a time-sensitive application.

On the 25th of May 2018, new European GDPR regulations came into place. Due to the sensitive nature of the information and paperwork that we require to assess and process an application, we are legally required to obtain consent to terms and conditions and collection of personal information. For full information please refer to our guidelines in our website footer below. 

Ticket validity varies for each Merlin attraction and further information will be provided in your confirmation email if your application is successful.

Remember to enjoy your Magical Day Out prior to the expiry date on your confirmation email. Expiry dates cannot be extended, and tickets cannot be reissued in the event you are unable to attend prior to this date. Any travel contribution award gifted must be returned in full to the charity if you are unable to visit.

Planning to visit one of our LEGOLAND attractions?

Please take care to select the correct LEGOLAND attraction for you.

LEGOLAND Windsor Resort UK, based in Berkshire with 55 rides and attractions all in one park for children ages 2 -12 years

LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Based in Birmingham and Manchester in the UK with 2 rides, 4D movie, and build stations for children ages 3 – 10 years

We are unable to amend or change your Magical Day Out tickets if you select the wrong attraction when choosing your Magical Day Out. 

Once your application has been accepted, we will send you a link to the official website for your chosen attraction, as well as ticket gift codes. You will need to use these codes and this link to book your Magical Day Out. We will also send you the accessibility information for this attraction as a link, so please look at this information should you or anyone visiting have any accessibility requirements. 

If you have any specific questions or queries about the attraction you are visiting, we advise you to visit their website or contact the attraction directly. 

A Ride Access Pass is designed for people with additional needs who would have difficulty queuing. You can apply for a Ride Access Pass with Merlin's partner, Nimbus Disability via your chosen attractions' website.

The decision of eligibility for a Ride Access Pass will be down to the attraction/Merlin's partner Nimbus Disability. 

Please be aware that not all attractions have, or can support Ride Access Passes. 

Applications must be submitted at least 7 days in advance of your visit.

Ride Access Pass reservations to the UK resort theme parks are moving online, you will need to pre-book your Ride Access Pass before your visit.

A full guide and helpful video can be found by visiting: Ride Access Pass | Merlin Entertainments Accessibility

We know that complimentary tickets are a big help but that you may also need assistance with the costs of travelling to your chosen attraction. When you apply online for tickets, you will also have the opportunity to request a financial contribution towards your travel costs. If successful, the amount awarded is on average £20. Look out for this section in the application form.

The charity does not support costs associated with a hotel stay.

Please note we can only provide complimentary car parking for Merlin Resort Theme Parks.

We often get asked if we can donate attraction tickets to individuals or charities who are fundraising. Please Note: we are gifted Magical Day Out tickets by Merlin Entertainments and we are unable to use these tickets for anything other than our beneficiaries. We cannot gift tickets for fundraising events or initiatives. 

We are unable to donate Merlin's Magic Wand merchandise or any donated merchandise from the Merlin Attractions for fundraising events or campaigns. 

While we work with Merlin Attractions to make our three Magical Programmes happen, we cannot support any external fundraising ideas or initiatives that you wish to create at a Merlin Attraction. Should you want to fundraise for Merlin's Magic Wand we have some great fundraising packs and year-round campaigns. 

We welcome ideas for fundraising, however, cannot plan events at or in attractions.