2nd June 2018 – Eleven Arches, the production company behind the UK’s must see live-action show ‘Kynren – An Epic Tale of England’, is delighted to announce that its cast and crew of 1,000 volunteers – known as Archers – have won The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This prestigious award was created in 2002 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee anniversary of The Queen’s coronation and is the equivalent of the MBE for volunteer groups.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. Any group doing volunteer work that provides a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the award. Each group is assessed on the benefit it brings to the local community and its standing within that community.

This award recognises the tireless work that the 1,000-strong cast and crew of volunteers put into bringing to life the history of the North East in a spectacular show, and is testament to their year-round dedication to producing it to world class standards.

Roles in the production range from the performers and the technical and pyrotechnics team, the cavalry and the costume and props crew, the divers and first aiders, to the ‘meeters and greeters’ and the operations team; the professionalism, energy and spirit of the various teams coming together is what makes Kynren truly unique and special.

The announcement comes during National Volunteers’ Week and only a few weeks ahead of Kynren’s upcoming third summer season, which returns for 17 spectacular live-action performances from Saturday 30th June 2018, and is an overwhelming boost to the entire 1,000 cast and crew. This award illustrates that Kynren is not just a remarkable professional live-action show, but it is also a hugely successful community project.

Indeed, Kynren’s five-star reviews on TripAdvisor are a further endorsement to highlight the passion of the 1,000-strong cast and crew of volunteers have taken the show to extraordinary world-class levels.

Co-Founder of Eleven Arches, Anne-Isabelle Daulon said: “We are so immensely proud of the recognition of the passion of all Archers who have collectively contributed more than 500,000 hours of their precious time since our professional training began, bringing Kynren to life as a world-class visitor attraction. As we head into our third season, The Queen’s Award is an overwhelming thank you to all Archers, and underlines the priceless gift of time everyone has given to Kynren – ordinary people creating something extraordinary.”

Brand new scenes for 2018, include a World War II commemoration of the Royal Air Force and rousing moments of modern history, such as Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation and England winning the 1966 World Cup. Other enhancements include a poignant tribute to the centenary of the WWI Armistice and the Suffragette Movement winning the vote for women.

Breath-taking special effects fill the performance, and new giant waterjet ballet sequences, amazing pyrotechnics and lighting projections will leave audiences transfixed, while bold new stunts will see horses jumping over fire and dragging a Roman along the ground at speed.

New features also include a brand new Animal Croft and Blacksmiths for visitors to enjoy before the show even begins. With such an action-packed season ahead, the accolade of The Queen’s Award is the spectacular icing on the cake.

Book your tickets now via the website: kynren.com