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A Magical Day Out is an experience provided by Merlin’s Magic Wand, the official children’s charity of Merlin Entertainments. Through the generous support of Merlin Entertainments, we offer single-day admission tickets to eligible children and their immediate family to enjoy one Merlin attraction of their choice.

This opportunity allows families to spend meaningful time together, have fun, and create magical memories that will last forever.

Immediate family refers to the child’s parents, or legal guardians, official care team/support person and siblings. We may request additional information if eligibility is unclear, to ensure support is directed to families who need it most.

A time-sensitive application refers to applications for children who have a life-limiting condition with a prognosis of 12 months or less. Or children who have an imminent loss of function. These applications are prioritised due to the urgency of the circumstances, ensuring the child can experience a Magical Day Out as soon as possible.

Please note:

• Applications for reasons such as birthdays or anniversaries are not considered time sensitive.
• If an application is marked as time-sensitive but does not meet the criteria, it will be cancelled, without a response from our team. 

Applications for Magical Days Out in 2025 are now closed. We are still accepting time-sensitive applications. To find out if your application qualifies, please see the section: ‘What is a Time-Sensitive Application?’. If your request meets this criteria, please contact mmw.charity@merlinsmagicwand.org to apply.

To be eligible for a Magical Day Out, the child you’re applying for must meet both of the following requirements:

Age Requirement

• Must be at least 2 years old and no older than 18 at the time of application

Current Circumstances

The child must currently be experiencing one or more of the following:

• Living with a serious or long-term illness
• Has a registered disability
• Lives in a permanent or temporary care home
• Currently in foster care
• Please note: If the child is in foster care, we may require documentation dated within the past 12 months.
• Has been recently adopted
• Please note: The adoption must have occurred within the last 5 years.
• Affected by domestic violence or abuse
• Has a parent or legal guardian who is terminally ill
• Has a sibling, parent, or legal guardian who has recently passed away
• Be a registered young carer

Applications for Magical Days Out in 2025 are now closed. We are still accepting time-sensitive applications. To find out if your application qualifies, please see the section: ‘What is a Time-Sensitive Application?’. If your request meets this criteria, please contact mmw.charity@merlinsmagicwand.org to apply

For Parents or Guardians:

If you’re a parent or guardian, please ask one of the following professionals or organisations to apply on your behalf:

• Your child’s Special Educational Needs (SEN) school
• A healthcare provider
• The Children’s Services under your local authority (council)
• A registered charity or support group relevant to your child’s needs

Applications must be submitted by an organisation that can confirm the child’s eligibility.

For Organisations:

Organisations applying must provide direct support to children who meet our eligibility criteria and focus on children aged 2 to 18 years. This includes:

• Special education schools
• Medical departments
• Children’s services
• Registered charities or community groups

If we are unable to confirm that your organisation exclusively supports eligible children, we reserve the right to cancel your application.

Time Sensitive Applications:

We accept applications for children with a terminal diagnosis (with a prognosis of 12 months or less), or imminent loss of function on a time sensitive basis. Contact the team directly to find out more on how we can support you to create magic on these urgent requests MMW.charity@merlinsmagicwand.org

To apply, organisations must provide the following:

• Two organisation-affiliated email addresses (no personal domains such as @gmail, @yahoo, etc.)
• One must belong to the person submitting the application
• The second must be for a senior staff member (e.g., CEO or department lead)
• The organisation’s official website
• Charity registration number, if applicable

In some cases, we may request additional documentation to support the application. This could include:

• Hospital letters and diagnostic reports
• Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
• Letters from child services or local authorities

Additional Guidance by Organisation Type:

• Schools:
  We accept applications from Special Education Needs schools or schools focused on social, emotional, or mental health needs (SEN/SEMH).
  Mainstream schools with a special education programme are not eligible.
• Local Authorities:
  The department directly supporting the child must submit the application (e.g., Child Protective Services).
• Hospitals or Medical Practices:
  Applications must come from the specific department working with the child (e.g., Pediatric Oncology), not from general administration.
• Community Centres / Support Groups:
  The main contact listed on the organisation’s website must submit the application.

For Families:

Each family is eligible to receive support from the Magical Day Out programme once. This applies regardless of:

• When tickets were previously issued
• Whether additional children in the family also meet the eligibility criteria

We want to ensure that as many families as possible can enjoy a Magical Day Out.

For Organisations:

You may submit additional applications for other eligible children who have not yet received a Magical Day Out.
Before submitting new requests, you must complete and return the Gift Code Allocation from your previous applications.
New applications will only be reviewed once that document has been received and approved.

Please do not submit additional applications while a previous request is still being processed, doing so will result in automatic cancellation.

Important Reminder:

• Ticket and gift code expiration dates cannot be extended
• We cannot reissue tickets if a family is unable to attend before the expiration date

Application processing times can vary depending on demand, but typically, you can expect an initial response within up to 4 weeks.

• Once your application is submitted, you will receive an automated confirmation email with further details about the next steps in the process.
• We appreciate your patience as we carefully review all applications.

For Time-Sensitive applications, we aim to complete eligibility checks within 10 days. Please refer to the ‘What is a Time-Sensitive Application?’ FAQ for more details.

We will communicate with you exclusively by email.

• After submitting your application, you’ll receive an automated confirmation email to let you know we’ve received it.
• This may go to your junk or spam folder, so please check there regularly.
• All updates and decisions related to your application will also be sent via email.

We are not responsible for any missed communication or lost opportunities due to overlooked or filtered emails.

Important Note for Families:

If your child’s application was submitted by an organisation (such as a school, hospital, or charity), all communication will go to the contacts listed on that application.
Please reach out to the organisation directly for updates, we are only able to correspond with them.

You will not be able to pre-select a date for your Magical Day Out until your application is successful. When this happens, you will be provided with information on selecting a date.

After submitting a Magical Day Out application, the selected attraction cannot be changed. Before applying, please check the attraction’s website to confirm suitability, including recommended age ranges, accessibility, and travel distance.

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 Privacy Policy and Cookies. 

Ticket validity varies for each Merlin attraction. The specific validity period will be provided in your confirmation email if your application is successful.

Please note: Tickets are valid only for the calendar year in which the application is made.

Expiration dates cannot be extended, and tickets cannot be reissued if you are unable to attend before this date.

Make sure to plan your Magical Day Out well in advance to ensure you can enjoy the experience before your tickets expire! It is not our responsibility to remind you to use your tickets.

Follow these simple steps to book your Magical Day Out after your application is accepted:

Step 1: Receive Your Confirmation

Once your application is approved, we will send you an email with:

• A link to the official website of your chosen attraction
• Your ticket gift codes

Step 2: Use the Link and Gift Codes to Book

• Click on the provided link to go to the attraction’s official booking page.
• Enter the ticket gift codes to complete your booking for your Magical Day Out.

Step 3: Review Accessibility Information

• For any accessibility requirements, please visit our Accessibility Guides to find detailed information about the attraction you’re visiting.
• Apply for a Ride Access Pass (if required) Ride Access Pass | Merlin Entertainments Accessibility
• Share the attraction-specific pre-visit our social stories

Step 4: Contact the Attraction for Specific Queries

• If you have any specific questions or need more information about the attraction, visit their official website or contact the attraction directly.

Parking is included at the following attractions:

• Alton Towers Resort
• Chessington World of Adventures Resort
• LEGOLAND Windsor Resort
• Thorpe Park Resort
• Warwick Castle

The option to book parking will be available when you are booking your Magical Day Out – please look out for it during the booking process.

If you are visiting as a group and are planning on bringing a coach to any of the attractions listed above, please contact us ahead of your visit.

For all other attractions, information about parking will be on the individual attraction’s website.

For all Ride Access Pass information, please visit Merlin Entertainments’ accessibility website: Merlin Entertainments Accessibility

Merlin is committed to ensuring it's attractions are as accessible as possible for all guests. Please review the attraction's Accessibility Guides before your Magical Day Out. 

Find Out More Here

Our attraction-specific social stories provide a step-by-step guide to help children navigate their Magical Day Out with confidence.

Download Here

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.

Merlin's Magic Wand gift codes and tickets must not be sold, transferred, or used for competitions, giveaways, prizes, or fundraising purposes.

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.

We cannot help you to plan events at or in attractions.