Visitor Attraction Leaders Welcomed to the National Memorial Arboretum

The National Memorial Arboretum played host to 70 senior representatives from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) Membership Council earlier this month.

The ALVA’s membership is formed of the UK’s most popular, iconic and important museums, galleries, palaces, zoos, historic houses, heritage sites, gardens and leisure attractions including the National Memorial Arboretum.

Authentic storytelling is at the heart of the work of the Arboretum and during the evening,  inspired by ‘The Year Was 1945…’ the Arboretum’s programme of events, exhibitions, talks and tours marking the 80^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, guests were invited to take a nostalgic journey back to 1945.

Music, rousing performances,  powerful testimonies and moments of reflection inspired by real life stories gave a voice to the trepidation and jubilation felt in the final months of the Second World War, and bought to life just some of the stories shared every day by the Arboretum’s team.

A homegrown celebratory menu, created using produce sourced from many Staffordshire suppliers, was inspired by the kitchen as a wartime space for innovation. Reminiscent of times gone by, the evening closed with a collective singalong around the piano.