Big Pit shows global appeal (From Free Press Series)

Big Pit shows global appeal

IT'S OFFICIAL, Blaenavon's mining museum is a Big Hit down under! Big Pit National Coal Museum has been brought to people living on the other side of the world.

Thanks to an antipodean newspaper feature people living in New Zealand have been learning about the highlights of Torfaen and its most popular tourist attraction Big Pit.

The national coal museum, which regularly has tourists from abroad, has been spotlighted in the New Zealand Herald. Julie Middleton from the newspaper visited Blaenavon and descended into the bowels of the Welsh earth down the Big Pit mineshaft.

Ms Middleton was given an underground tour of Big Pit by ex-miner and guide Tony Barlow and describes her visit in detail to the readers of the Herald.

Torfaen Councillor Neil Lewis, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: "We were thrilled to find out that residents in New Zealand have been reading about Big Pit. Although it's many 1000s of miles away the UK is a popular holiday destination for its residents. We hope that this article encourages holidaymakers to travel up to Torfaen and go underground at Big Pit."

Big Pit most recently won the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year, Britain's single largest arts prize. The museum is open daily 9.30am-5pm. Underground tours run frequently 10am-3.30pm. Now also open December and January, please call for winter opening times.

Admission is free. For more information Tel: 01495 790311 www.museumwales.ac.uk