Alton Towers and HarperCollins Children’s Books partner to launch national The World of David Walliams competition for UK primary schools as part of World Book Day

• Children are invited to create a character inspired by The World of David Walliams Books
• Winner will get the chance to meet best-selling children’s author David Walliams and attend the launch of Gangster Granny: The Ride
• Theme Park also offering interactive and innovative STEM based workshops with state-of-the art holographic David Walliams for schools throughout 2020
• More than 15,000 David Walliams books to be given to school children visiting the Resort in 2020 to celebrate the launch of ride

Alton Towers Resort has partnered with HarperCollins Children’s Books and World Book Day to launch a national primary school competition and give a class the chance to meet best-selling children’s author David Walliams, as well as attend the launch of Gangster Granny: The Ride, opening this spring.

From today (March 5^th), schoolchildren from across the UK will be encouraged to use their imaginations and creativity to design a character, inspired by The World of David Walliams’ books. The winning entry will be invited to the launch of the new Gangsta Granny ride with their classmates receive a signed copy of Gangsta Granny and a signed poster for the classroom. The class will also be given the opportunity to meet David Walliams in person.

Two runner-up classes will also be invited to be among the first to experience the new ride, on which guests are invited to climb into a royal carriage as Ben and Granny enlist their help to pull off the greatest jewel heist in history! They’ll then take a spin through the sewers on a 360° special effects laden wild ride to break into the crown jewels vault. Alton Towers is will also contribute up to £500 towards travel to the Resort for the winning school.

Throughout the 2020 season, which sees the Theme Park celebrate its 40^th anniversary, Alton Towers will also be offering primary schools across the UK the chance to take part in a range of fun-packed workshops inspired by Gangsta Granny: The Ride, featuring a state-of-the-art, interactive holographic David Walliams!

The custom-made hologram, created exclusively in collaboration with HarperCollins and David Walliams, will create the impression that the author is actually ‘in the room’ offering witty tips and tips. Features include bespoke content recorded by David Walliams to excite and educate budding readers.

Each of the workshops, based on the much loved Gangsta Granny book have been specifically designed to meet the demands of STEM learning in primary schools and cover science, design and technology, computing and English in a fun, unique and engaging way

More than 15,000 workshop places will be available to primary school groups from March to September, with all sessions delivered in the Resort’s vibrant Alton Towers Education Centre, situated in the heart of the newly themed area of the theme park inspired by ‘The World of David Walliams’.

As part of the workshop experience, all groups receive Theme Park tickets to enjoy the park’s famous rides and attractions, including Gangsta Granny: The Ride. Each child who takes part in the workshop will also receive a free copy of Gangsta Granny.

James Walker, Marketing Director at Alton Towers Resort, said: “We’re incredibly excited to partner with HarperCollins Children’s Books to launch this competition, which aims to spark the imagination of children across the UK and get them excited about reading and storytelling.

“Whilst collaborating on Gangsta Granny: The Ride, we wanted to take the opportunity to do something fun that would inspire our young guests to discover more of David Walliams’ stories. We hope the chance to be one of the first to experience the new ride will help even more children engage in reading and writing across the UK.

“Introducing an interactive hologram of David Walliams as part of the Gangsta Granny workshops will allow us to deliver a unique and unforgettable experience to thousands of school children across the UK visiting the Resort, sparking enthusiasm for STEM subjects in the next generation.”

Entries will close at 11.59pm on Tuesday March 10th and the winning schools will be notified on Friday March 13th. More details can be found at www.altontowers.com/schools/character-competition/

Now in its 23^rd year, World Book Day in the UK and Ireland aims to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading. It’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Gangsta Granny education workshops can visit www.altontowers.com/schools/ or contact the Alton Towers Education team at education@alton-towers.com.