Win an exclusive behind the scenes experience with Dippy the Dinosaur

Image: A member of the Natural History Museum team during the installation of Dippy at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, May 2018 © Birmingham Museums Trust

A lucky raffle winner will get the chance to go behind the scenes with the Natural History Museum team as they install Dippy the Dinosaur at the Great North Museum: Hancock this May.

During the exclusive one-hour experience, the winner and up to three guests will have unprecedented access to the exhibition build. They will meet Head of Conservation Lorraine Cornish and her team to find out exactly how they put the 21-metre-long skeleton together.

The winning party will also be able to take photographs with Dippy’s skull before it is fixed in place at the end of the dinosaur’s neck.

The raffle aims to raise £5,000 to support learning activities for schoolchildren and families at the Great North Museum: Hancock. Tickets are on sale now at £2.50 each with all proceeds going to the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Development Trust – a registered charity, number 1137867.

Entrants must be aged 16 or over and UK mainland residents. Tickets can be purchased at the museum shop or online via greatnorthmuseum.org.uk. The winner must be available to claim the prize on both Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May, with the final date for the experience confirmed during the installation.

The winning ticket will be drawn randomly at the Great North Museum: Hancock on Friday 3 May at 2pm. All tickets must be purchased by Saturday 27 April to ensure entry into the prize draw.

Caroline McDonald, Manager at the Great North Museum: Hancock, said:

“This is such an exciting opportunity to get up close and personal with Dippy and a rare chance to meet the experts and see first-hand just what it takes to piece together this giant dinosaur jigsaw.

“We are very grateful to the Natural History Museum for their enthusiasm in offering the prize. We hope that our visitors will get behind the raffle with similar gusto. Every ticket bought supports our mission to inspire the next generation of scientists.”

Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure opens to the public at the Great North Museum: Hancock on Saturday 18 May, running until Sunday 6 October 2019.

The UK tour, supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation, sees the famous dinosaur skeleton cast visit eight venues across all four nations.

Dippy was the star exhibit at London’s Natural History Museum for over 100 years. He has so far visited Dorchester, Birmingham, Belfast and Glasgow, with Newcastle, Cardiff, Rochdale and Norwich to follow.

Visitors are strongly advised to book free tickets for the Newcastle leg of the tour in advance via greatnorthmuseum.org.uk, although a very limited number of walk-ups will be available daily during the exhibition run.

Please contact Jonathan Loach - Jonathan.Loach@twmuseums.org.uk 0191 277 2168