Spaceport celebrates successful one-year anniversary

10:46am Saturday 5th August 2006

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EVER wanted to find out how much a can of beans would weigh on Jupiter or what it feels like to experience weightlessness?

Well, 100,000 visitors from Wirral and beyond have been finding out the answers to these and thousands of other cosmos-related questions at the Seacombe Space Port for the last year. To celebrate the multi-million pound attraction's first anniversary, visitors on Thursday were given a slice of special birthday cake.

"The demand for visits from schools has been way above our expectations."

Neil Scales

Neil Scales, Merseytravel's Chief Executive, said: "It's been a fantastic first year for Spaceport. The demand for visits from schools has been way above our expectations. We're seeing primary and secondary schools visiting Spaceport from around the North West and beyond. Teachers see it as a way of delivering part of the national curriculum in educational and enjoyable way."

Among the attractions is a planetarium - which takes you on a 26-minute tour of the galaxy, an amusement arcade with a host of space invader games from yesteryear for adults and a children's Play Planet'.

From September, the venue will host one of the country's biggest Dr Who exhibitions, featuring the Tardis, Cybermen, Daleks and other monstrous criminals that have plagued the BBC's legendary Time Lord.

The attraction is part of Merseytravel's major drive to improve facilities at all of the three ferry terminals. Neil Scales added: "Spaceport was launched as part of our overall strategy to ensure a sound financial future for Mersey Ferries which are already the most popular paid-for tourist attraction in the region. Its success will also provide a welcome boost to the local economy."

Spaceport is situated at the Seacombe Ferry Terminal. It opens at 10.30am seven days a week during the whole of August.

Last Admission is 4pm and it closes at 5.30pm.