Sheriff defends Robin Hood trip

The city council wants a new Robin Hood attraction by 2018

The Sheriff of Nottingham has gone to the United States to discover how to make the most of the Robin Hood legend.

The aim of the nine-day trip is to build an attraction to the famous outlaw which would bring in a million visitors a year to Nottingham.

He will look at successful visitor centres to see how they are run.

The Sheriff, Councillor Leon Unczur, said the £10,000 cost of the trip was a worthwhile investment to help promote tourism in the city.

'Hard work'

"The American dollar is important to the city... they love Robin Hood", he said.

"[The cost] is coming out of public money... but at the end of the day you invest, don't you, and trust me, I'm not going out there just for a joyride. This will be hard work."

The trip will take in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and New York.

The Sheriff of Nottingham's Commission and Advisory Panel fact-finding tour will take in 24 visitor attractions that each bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

One of Nottingham's main Robin Hood attractions was forced to close in February after going into voluntary liquidation due to a fall in visitors.

It is hoped a new attraction dedicated to Robin Hood will be built in the city by 2018.