At Eureka!, we are passing on part of this saving by lowering our admission prices between 14 July and 31 August 2026, in line with the English school summer holidays. All standard tickets during this period will still qualify for our annual pass, and our usual terms and conditions remain unchanged.
As a charity, Eureka! is committed to supporting the Great British Summer Savings campaign and passing on as much of the VAT reduction as we responsibly can. However, we also need to balance this with the financial realities of running a charity that relies on visitor income to fund our work.
A key part of this is the Gift Aid scheme. For eligible admissions, we can claim an additional 25% in Gift Aid, calculated on the full ticket price including VAT. This is an important source of income that directly supports our charitable mission.
Reducing ticket prices reduces the Gift Aid value we can claim, regardless of the VAT rate. To protect our overall income during the busy summer period, we have reduced admission prices as far as we can without significantly reducing our Gift Aid contribution. While we hope the VAT reduction will encourage more families to visit, we cannot rely on increased visitor numbers alone to offset the financial impact of a larger price cut.
The portion of the VAT saving we are retaining will help us to:
- Strengthen our Play it Forward fund — widening access for families who need support all year round
- Contribute to funds for essential improvements to our visitor experience and facilities
- Protect jobs and maintain financial stability during a challenging period
This balanced approach allows us to offer a meaningful, visitor‑friendly price reduction while safeguarding the long‑term sustainability of Eureka! as a charity.
By: Sophie Ballinger