'Free Access' To Cardiff Castle?
Did you know that you own Cardiff Castle? (Seriously.)
In 1947, the Crichton-Stuart family descendants of Lord Mount Stuart (Mount Stuart Square is named after him) and Lady Sophia (the woman who gave Sophia Gardens its name) gave Cardiff Castle to the people of Cardiff. If you live or work in Cardiff today, you are allowed free entry to many areas of the castle and discounts on the price of the full guided tours.
Amazingly, many Cardiff residents are unaware of that fact: while Bute Park is frequented by many in the summertime, the buildings and grounds of the castle itself are barricaded by a large ticket office and long lines of tourists, which deters locals who are simply looking for somewhere to wander on their lunch break. To enter the castle usually costs £8.95 for adults and £6.35 for under 18s, but as a resident of Cardiff that will cost you nothing... or at least that's how it's supposed to work.
Pupils of Millbank Primary School decided to put this offer to the test one lunchtime during a visit to town as part of National Schools Film Week, which provides pupils with free cinema tickets during off-peak hours. They were keen to spend their break somewhere scenic where they could admire the beauty of the castle grounds and learn about an important monument in Cardiff's history. They were accompanied by teachers and wearing school uniform which clearly identified them as pupils of a Cardiff school, but were told they could not enter without paying, which the pupils were unable to afford. They were forced to take their group (and their dinner money) elsewhere, and both the castle and the pupils lost out.
A number of pupils banded together and researched this 'free' entry policy, as they believed it was unfair that people who attended school were being excluded from this offer. As they do not have jobs they are the ones most in need of free entry, and allowing young people to learn about Cardiff's history should not be a privilege that is kept from them. They learnt that the only way to obtain a pass is to present a driver's license, a council tax or utility bill addressed to you, or a letter from your employer. For most young people, particularly those under the age of 17, obtaining any of those items would be impossible.
They say this is unfair and the pupils will not stand for it. They want to see this system changed so that young people in Cardiff are given the same level of recognition as adults. They have thought up and outlined a number of suggestions on how these changes could be easily implemented: as well as recognising simple indicators like school uniforms, there are schemes such as the Cardiff Council MAX card which provide young people with discounts and are only available to those living or studying in Cardiff. Cardiff Castle staff should allow entry to anyone wearing a Cardiff school uniform or able to provide a Max Card, they say. Other suggestions include accepting documentation which young people are able to obtain: a bus ticket or a library card, instead of a utility bill or driver's license.
The pupils began a campaign which involved contacting not only Cardiff Castle but also their local MP (Member of Parliament) and the councillor for leisure and tourism. They plan to send a petition to each school council in Cardiff to promote awareness of their campaign and have even created a website dedicated to their cause.
On the website they explain why they believe Cardiff Castle's current stance to be foolish and not in anyone's best interests:
"There has been a decline in the number of trips schoolchildren have taken in all of Wales you might have seen an article in the Echo earlier [last] year. The reason Class 4 wanted lunch at the castle was that they were visiting the Vue Cinema to watch a film for free as part of National Schools Film Week. One of the reasons that so many cinemas take part is that they want young people to visit, because they know that they often come back with the rest of their family, who buy lots of tickets and popcorn, etc. Free local school visits at off-peak times make business sense to the entertainment industry."
Young People's Rights
At the end of last year, theSprout was involved in celebrating and raising awareness of the UNCRC: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is a worldwide human rights treaty, supported across hundreds of countries, that grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a set of rights to defend and benefit them.
The Convention gives children and young people over 40 substantive rights. These include the right to:
Special protection measures and assistance
Access to services such as education and health care
Develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential
Grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding
Be informed about and participate in achieving their rights in an accessible and active manner.
All of the rights in the Convention apply to all children and young people without discrimination. Both theSprout and CLIC (our Wales-wide site) strongly support the UNCRC and we do our best to promote and support young people who take action to stand up for their rights.
Article 31 of the UNCRC states that: "All young people have the opportunity to relax and play" while Article 12 talks about "young people having their views taken into account." We feel that the pupils of Millbank Primary School embody the principles of the UNCRC and deserve our support in fighting for this cause. We will keep you updated on their progress and welcome your support. Please visit their website for more information on how you can get involved, and leave your comments at the bottom of this page if you would like to share your thoughts.
How To Apply For A Free Cardiff Castle Pass
At the time of writing, young people still have difficulty obtaining these free passes and will require the involvement of a parent or guardian to obtain one. However anyone living or working in Cardiff is eligible to apply. To do so, follow this link to the Cardiff Castle website and print out the application form and follow the instructions on the site. To obtain a pass for a young person please also contact the Castle Ticket Office on 029 2087 8100.
'Sad Bear' photo taken by the pupils at Millbank Primary School.
Interior Cardiff Castle photographs taken by Ezioman more of his work can be found here.
1 Comment – Post a comment
Pasternak
Commented 77 months ago - 18th January 2010 - 11:16am
I've lived in Cardiff my entire life and have NEVER heard about this!! Looking on the site it says you can use the pass to get into events like the jousting for free too.
Cheers for bringing this to my attention!