All Aboard for the Great British ‘Where’s Wally?’ Hunt

NEWS COPY

Virgin Trains has launched a nationwide “Where’s Wally? Hunt” and is challenging families to find the much-loved character while they are out and about during the school summer holidays. One hundred of the ‘Where’s Wally?’ replicas have been scattered across the country.

Wally, who is known to appear in train stations in the famous books created by Martin Hanford, is following suit in the real world with life size cut-outs and smaller transfers blending into real crowds, cityscapes, train stations and trains along the West Coast Main Line. Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh are among cities where replica Wallys can be spotted by the most eagle-eyed travellers.

The hunt runs for six weeks throughout the school holidays, and promises to keep families entertained during their summer travels. Families should head towards city landmarks and train stations to have the edge on spotting the bespectacled character.  Knowing Wally likes to mix in with the crowd, however, Virgin Trains will also be helping out intrepid explorers by releasing a series of clues via its social media channels.

To enter, those joining the hunt need simply snap a picture of themselves with a Wally on the route. Once they’ve found as many as they can, they simply tweet the total number of Wallys they’ve found to @VirginTrains using the hashtag #FoundWally or enter via the Virgin Trains Facebook page by August 31. The family/family member to find the most Wallys will win a luxury Virgin Trains Escape Weekend in London, courtesy of SuperBreak.

Steve Tennant, Executive Director of Customer Service at Virgin Trains, said: “Every kid looks forward to the summer holidays and all the fun of six weeks off; we’re always focussed on helping parents and families make the most of every second –  even when travelling. Bringing Where’s Wally? into the Virgin Trains crew will make for a summer to remember and we can’t wait to take him out of the books and into the nation’s cities. What’s more, we hope that adventurous families joining the hunt will take advantage of our new Family Ticket, which will help them travel for less this summer.”

To find out more about the Where’s Wally? hunt and Family Tickets, please visit Virgin Trains Facebook and Twitter pages and http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/family-offer/

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Family Ticket

The Family Ticket allows any family of any size - with a minimum of one adult and one child, up to a maximum of two adults and four children – to travel anywhere along Virgin Trains West Coast Mainline (as long as travel is to/from London Euston). The Family Ticket is super flexible - just reserve your outbound journey and come back any time within a month of your outbound date – and is available for travel along Virgin Trains West Coast Route until 6 September 2015.

Where’s Wally? Hunt Competition Prize

The SuperBreak luxury Virgin Trains Escape Weekend entitles a family of four with return tickets to London, hotel accommodation, tickets to Kidzania, London Eye, Sea Life London, London Dungeons and Madame Tussauds.

Where’s Wally? Hunt – Participating Cities and Stations

Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Rugby, Stoke on Trent, London

Where’s Wally? Hunt terms and conditions

Terms and conditions for Virgin Trains #FoundWally

This promotion to find the highest number out of 100 Where’s Wally? characters hidden on the Virgin Trains route and participating cities (Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Rugby, Stoke on Trent) by 31 August 2015 in order to win a family SuperBreak (the “Promotion”), is being promoted by Virgin Trains having its registered office at [INSERT ADDRESS] (“Virgin Trains“).

Please read the following terms and conditions carefully. These terms and conditions govern the Promotion.

Terms and Conditions

1. The Promotion is open to UK residents over the age of 18.
   • Children under the age of 18 should apply via their parents
2. The Promotion will run from 8am on 20 July 2015 until 6pm 31 of August 2015 (the “Promotion Period”). Virgin Trains reserves the right to extend or shorten the Promotion Period at any time. Entries submitted after the end of the Promotion Period will not be considered.
3. To take part in the Promotion you (hereinafter “you” or the “Participant”) must find (and make a note of the location) the most out of 100 hidden Where’s Wallys, with the @VirginTrains / #FoundWally appearing on the Wally, by 31 August 2015.
4. When you are confident you have found as many as possible, inform Virgin Trains via Twitter or Facebook how many Wally’s you have found – with a picture of you with one hidden Wally – using @VirginTrains and #FoundWally, by 31 August 2015
5. You will then be contacted via Twitter/Facebook through Direct Message within 7 days, requesting that you send a full list of locations for each Wally you have spotted to a dedicated email address:foundwally@hopeandglorypr.com. You must then send this list within 7 days of receiving the Direct Message to be considered.
6. The person with the largest and correct list of hidden Wally locations will win the following “Prize”

The SuperBreak luxury Virgin Trains Escape Weekend entitles a family of four with return tickets to London, hotel accommodation, tickets to Kidzania, London Eye, Sea Life London, London Dungeons and Madame Tussauds.

1. The winning entrant (the “Winner”) must be available to claim the “Prize” before 31 December 2015
2. By entering this Virgin Trains promotion you:
   • agree and accept that Virgin Trains will not be liable for any damage, injury, or loss which you may suffer as a result of your participation in the Promotion (to the fullest extent permitted by law);
3. To the extent possible under law, you (on your behalf, and on the behalf of your heirs, executors, and assigns) fully release, discharge, and hold harmless Virgin Trains and all other persons and entities involved with your participation in the Promotion, from all claims, actions, liabilities and causes of action which may accrue as a result of your participation in the Promotion.
4. The Prize is awarded conditionally upon acceptance and if the Winner cannot be contacted or if the Prize is unclaimed or declined within seven days of first contact, the Prize shall be deemed as unclaimed or unaccepted and a supplementary winner will be selected at Virgin Trains’ discretion.
5. Virgin Trains reserves the right to provide a substitute Prize of similar value. Cash or credit alternatives will not be offered. The Prize is not transferable.
6. The winner may be required to participate in publicity connected with the Promotion and it is a condition of entry that the Winner agrees to their name and town of residence being made publicly available if they win. The participant grants permission for their images submitted via social media to be used for Virgin Trains’ marketing purposes.
7. Participants’ data will be collected, stored and processed for the purposes of administering and assessing the Promotion.
8. Virgin Trains’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
9. Virgin Trains reserves the right to suspend, cancel or amend the Promotion and/or review and revise these terms and conditions at any time without giving prior notice and by continuing to take part in the Promotion subsequent to any revision of these terms and conditions, Participants shall be deemed to have agreed to any such new or amended terms.
10. If any provision of these terms and conditions is held invalid by any law, rule, order or regulation of any government, or by the final determination of any court of a competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the enforceability of any other provisions not held to be invalid.
11. The Promotion and these terms and conditions are governed by English Law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

About Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned by Virgin Group (51%) and Stagecoach (49%). Virgin Trains has operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997, serving key UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. In June 2014 the Department for Transport (DfT) awarded VRG a new franchise until at least April 2017.

Virgin Trains is committed to delivering a high speed, high frequency service, offering shorter journey times, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. We provide the most frequent long-distance rail service in Europe (London - Manchester and London – Birmingham, both every 20 minutes).

Since 1997, Virgin Trains has introduced over 70 new trains at a cost of £1.5 billion. The service carries more than 34.5 million passengers a year and Virgin Trains employs approximately 3,290 staff.

Virgin Trains customers consistently rate the company as one of the top long-distance rail franchise operators in the National Passenger Survey (NPS) commissioned by industry watchdog “Passenger Focus”.

Visit the Virgin Trains Media Room - www.virgintrains.co.uk/mediaroom - for the latest news, images and videos. Subscribe here for regular news from Virgin Trains.

Press Office: 0845 000 3333. Company website: www.virgintrains.co.uk.