First Young Battlements Tour Guide Finalist Announced

History-rich medieval castle hotel, Langley Castle, has announced its first finalist for its Young Battlements Tour Guide of the Year competition and is now on the hunt for another two.

Langley Castle has revealed that nine-year-old Leo Grant, a pupil at St Mary’s RC Primary School in Whickham, has made it through to finals day on October 30.  It is now extending the competition deadline to October 20, to try to find some other suitable young tour guides to compete against Leo.

Leo is a self-confessed history buff who loves to learn facts about everything from local heritage to world events.  Such is his passion for picking up information and recording interesting details  that a teacher has nicknamed him Encyc’Leo’pedia!

He is a ‘Horrible Histories’ fan, keen drama student preparing for his third LAMDA exam and “beyond excited” to become a finalist in Langley Castle’s competition.  This asks children, under the age of 11, to step into the shoes of one of the castle’s daily Battlements Tour guides for the day and create a presentation on Langley Castle’s history.

The idea is that their presentation should appeal to other children, with the focus being either on all of the castle’s history, or just a part of it.

Children do not necessarily have to always be as keen on history as Leo.  They could just treat this as a ‘show and tell’ with a difference.

Anyone can put their child or grandchild forward as a potential finalist, by emailing a reason why they should be considered for this competition to jane@catapultpr.co.uk, by midnight on October 20.  Just mark the email YBTG Competition.  Alternatively, send your reason to YBTG Contest, Langley Castle, Langley-on-Tyne, NE47 5LU, by the closing date.

Finalists will then head to Langley Castle on October 30, to give their presentations.  The winner will pick up a prize of an overnight stay for themselves and their parents, with a hearty Northumbrian breakfast and a Battlements Tour included, plus a trophy.  Runners-up will win a trophy. All rules can be found at https://bit.ly/4n86tqd

Langley Castle’s general manager, Mohamed Serag, says, “We are delighted to have found our first very worthy finalist and look forward to welcoming Leo and his family on finals day.  We are sure there are some other brilliant youngsters out there who could throw themselves into this and go back to school, after half term, with a brilliant tale to tell their teacher and classmates, about their day of stepping into the shoes of a castle tour guide.  Win or lose, they will have had a wonderful day out.”

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Editors notes

Langley Castle, built in 1350, is located in Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland and is one of the few authentic, fortified medieval castles in England. It has a rich history, with strong links to Jacobite rebellions, is located just a stone's throw from the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall and boasts features including battlements, seven-feet-thick walls, window seats set into the walls and the best example of medieval garderobes in Europe. It is one of the most exquisite wedding venues in the north and also offers a wide range of options when it comes to exclusive use, with the castle being available for weddings, family celebrations, Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, D&D-style events and a wide variety of corporate functions.