Apology after visitors travel to cancelled Anglesey Abbey event

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Winter Lights at Anglesey Abbey, 2023
Image caption,

The event is Anglesey Abbey's biggest fundraiser and offers visitors a "beautiful, sensory after-dark journey"

Visitors have described "wasted journeys" and "crying children" after the National Trust did not tell them it had cancelled a winter lights event.

Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire decided not to hold Saturday's fundraiser due to waterlogged car parks and a forecast of strong winds.

A Facebook post was published, external, but ticket holders were not contacted directly so many still travelled.

Anglesey Abbey said it was "sorry to all those who were inconvenienced".

A spokesman said: "We apologise that the cancellation of the winter lights event was not communicated through email.

"This is something that should be automatic from the central booking office when the event is cancelled and we are investigating why this did not happen."

Image caption,

Nearly 3,000 people were booked on Saturday night and had paid £20 per adult, £15.50 per child, while under fives were free

Speaking on Facebook, one visitor said it was "extremely disappointing to be turned away. Resulted in three crying children".

Another said nine members of her family had travelled more than an hour from different directions to attend.

It was "a birthday treat for my mum who now has a wasted journey", she said. "The least you could have done was sent an email."

Winter Lights at Anglesey Abbey is the property's biggest fundraiser, external and is held on four weekends from Friday 17 November.

Nearly 3,000 people had booked Saturday's "beautiful, sensory after-dark journey".

Comments on Facebook suggest "hundreds" of these people had turned up for the event.

The trust said ticket holders should receive an automatic email from the booking office and refunds would be issued.

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