TV adventurer unveils 'Bear-mingham International' station
Virgin Trains’ Birmingham International Station has officially become ‘Bearmingham International’ for a week from today to celebrate the launch of the new Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC.
And the TV adventurer himself was on hand to unveil the new station sign.
The new adventure attraction is a short walk from the station, beside the Genting Arena, and commuters and families arriving by train this week are already snapping selfies with the new signage.
Bear himself was there to unveil the special station sign and said: “It’s amazing to see the buzz around The Bear Grylls Adventure today. It’s been an incredible road embarking on this new attraction with the team at Merlin Entertainments and such an honour to have a station renamed after me today. We’ve received such a warm welcome from Birmingham so far, and we are proud to make it the home of our first ever adventure attraction.”
The partnership between Merlin Attractions and Virgin Trains sees the station renamed for a whole week with platform signs all changed to mark the special take over.
The wait is now over for budding adventurers who want to tick a whole host of experiences off their bucket list including diving, Europe’s tallest high ropes course, indoor sky diving, rock climbing and Basecamp – which will equip them with the skills to tackle any adventure. All this under the expert guidance of trained experts on site.
Although the rename is temporary, Bear Grylls has left his mark on Birmingham as the attraction opens its doors to its first guests, and tickets, which must be booked in advance, for visits from September 12 onwards.
Bear said: “This last year has been such a journey and I want to thank everyone involved in The Bear Grylls Adventure for turning this vision into reality. In recent weeks seeing the attraction really take shape from our initial designs and getting to try out the activities has given all the team such a sense of pride and achievement. I just can’t wait for people to learn and be challenged across all the different adventures at The Bear Grylls Adventure. This really is adventure at its best, in one day!”
James Thomas, general manager at The Bear Grylls Adventure, said: "It has been such an honour to work with Bear Grylls on this attraction from the initial design stages right over to this station rename. We seriously cannot wait for people to experience this incredible attraction first hand.”
Lorraine Ley, station manager for Birmingham International, added: “It was great have Bear down at the station today to help celebrate the rename. It’s a fun thing to do and we hope it will put on smile on peoples’ faces. Travelling to the new attraction by train couldn’t be easier, and certainly more Bear-able than driving, if you can excuse the pun.”
Bearmingham International will start to see thrill-seekers flooding in over the coming months as fans will travel nationwide to be challenged and rewarded by The Bear Grylls Adventure. Groups of three or more will also be able to save an additional 20 per cent off advance Virgin Trains services.
Tickets are on sale now. For more information go to www.beargryllsadventure.com
