Bidding for Glasgow Willy Wonka event 'cancelled' sign goes over £1,000

A sign signalling the botched Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow being cancelled has raised over £1,000 for a children’s hospital charity.

Frustrated visitors to Willy’s Chocolate Experience, held at the Box Hub Warehouse in Whiteinch last month branded the House of Illuminati event “a farce” and said their children were left upset by the quality of the attraction.

Organisers cancelled the experience only hours into it opening after they were met with a furious reaction by customers, and police confirmed officers had been called to the venue.

Box Hub announced last week that the hand-painted ‘Event Cancelled’ sign was to be put on Ebay with plans to donate profits to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

As of Tuesday morning, the auction has raised £1,140 with more than six days of bidding remaining.

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House of Illuminati said it was ‘truly sorry’ for ‘frustration’ caused by the event, and said the company would ‘learn from the experience’.

Box Hub posted on Facebook: “We’re sure many of you have seen this excellent piece of signage, either in person or from the numerous sources covering the resulting global comedy of the chocolate experience event hosted within our Warehouse Venue last week.

“All comedy aside, we understand that many children and families were left disappointed after travelling from across the country for this event.

“We’d like to see some good come from this.

“You can find this sign for sale on eBay, we’ll be donating all the profits from this to ‘Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity’.”

The 'event cancelled' sign from the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow has raised over £1000. Photo: Box Hub/Ebay — The ‘event cancelled’ sign from the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow has raised over £1000. Photo: Box Hub/Ebay Box Hub/Ebay

The organiser of the event, House of Illuminati said in a statement last week: “I am reaching out to address the recent cancellation of the ‘Willys Chocolate Experience’ event.

“Firstly, I want to extend my sincerest apologies to each and every one of you who was looking forward to this event. I understand the disappointment and frustration this has caused, and for that, I am truly sorry.

“It’s important for me to clarify that the organization and decisions surrounding this event were solely my responsibility.

“I want to make it clear that anyone who was hired externally or offered their help, are not affiliated with the me or the company, any use of faces can cause serious harm to those who did not have any involvement in the making of this event.”

The statement continued: “Regarding the refunds, I am committed to rectifying this situation. All all 850 transactions will be continue to be refunded has been posted to ensure transparency and to demonstrate my commitment to making this right for everyone affected.

“I ask for a bit of time to process everything that has happened. My intention is to learn from this experience. Your support and understanding during this time mean the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.”

Kirsten Watson, CEO at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’re so grateful to Box Hub for choosing to support Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, and to the generous bidders who have already raised more than £1,000.

“It’s heart-warming to be reminded how kind our city can be, particularly when the eyes of the world are upon us.”