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James McCormack/Britain On View

How mainstream is official Britain?  Last month, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosted the first-ever LGBT reception at 10 Downing Street.  And to celebrate this historic event, you can enter now for your chance to win a trip to LGBT London, Brighton and Wales!  Enter before March 31, 2010.

This sweepstakes is sponsored by official British tourism authorities and major companies: VisitBritain. Visit Brighton, Visit Wales, American Airlines and Red Carnation Hotels. This is as good as getting a personal invite from the prime minister and THE queen of all queens herself. 

But first let’s take a look at the prize that’s worth a king’s ransom.  It includes two round-trip economy class tickets on American Airlines from the US to London, England courtesy of American Airlines.

Three-nights' luxury accommodation at Red Carnation Hotels' Egerton House Hotel, a five-star London-boutique hotel in Knightsbridge courtesy of Red Carnation Hotels. Winner of 'Best Small Hotel in the UK' at the Daily Mail's Commercial Property Awards 2009, it’s an honestly deserved award for this well-managed hotelier.

Two (2) First-Class BritRail Flexipasses courtesy of BritRail. Determine your own route, and travel at your own pace when discovering Britain.  Some of the first-class will remind you of the ‘rail carriages ’in the classic black and white films. 

Two £20 Visitor Oyster (transport) Cards courtesy of the VisitBritain Shop.  The Oyster Card adjusts automatically to help you get the least expensive price for all the trips you make in a day.  This is a huge saving because with the current weak dollar both public and private transportation overseas is very expensive.  And London’s ‘underground’ ‘tube’ system is clean, safe, fast and well-marked and mapped for first-timers.

Two Big Bus London Sightseeing Tour passes which give you unlimited use of the 3 Big Bus open-top routes for 24-hours courtesy of Big Bus London Sightseeing Tours - the most innovative and entertaining open-top sightseeing bus tour in London. Our biggest rave about these passes is you can hop-on and hop-off as you bloody well please.  And this glorious royal city has eye-popping sights on every block.  To get a quick overview of the city, we highly recommend doing a bus tour of central London ‘straight away,’ as the British say - it’s good to be bi-lingual!  Later, you can go back and causally explore those places that captured your interest.

Two Theatre Tickets to “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” musical in London courtesy of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Nominated for an incredible seven What's on Stage Awards 2010 awards. You'll love it!  We saw it last summer and it’s as exciting as a stage show as it was a hit movie. It will transfer to New York but if you win this sweepstakes you can see it now with its sensational original cast.

And if you have a spare evening on your own, don’t miss the musical version of “Sister Act.”  Whoopi produced it, but it stars an unbelievably stunning newcomer, Patina Miller. This show is bound to be a great hit whenever it opens on Broadway.  You can get discounted theater tickets at the booth on Leicester Square.  Just ask your hotel staff for a map and directions.

Two nights' accommodation at a hotel in Brighton courtesy of Visit Brighton. With its laid back, bohemian atmosphere and reputation for cheeky, free thinking, lesbian and gay Brighton has long been considered the UK's second gay capital. 

This beautiful seaside town was made for walking. It’s right out of a Dickens novel.  The gay scene is always apparent and there are three things not to be missed: The 18th-Century Royal Pavilion, Tea in the garden room of the Grand Hotel overlooking the beachfront with a view of the French coast, and shopping in the historic “Lanes” for jewelry, antiques, funky clothes and restaurants.

Two nights' accommodations at the Sleeperz Cardiff, courtesy of Sleeperz. This modern urban hotel has a central location, striking limestone facade, and colorful, stylish interiors in a popular seaside destination with nine gay bars. 

A spectacular Golden Gower tour for two is courtesy of See Wales – with its spectacular cliff top views, ancient monuments, many fairy-tale castles, and quaint villages, this is a story-book country of great natural beauty. And go frolic in the sea, on the beaches and in the pubs and clubs.

The grand prize here is more than a free trip, it’s a chance to mix and mingle with the jolly, earthy, conversational Brits and experience the UK’s bloody good hospitality!

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Tags: 2010, 37-05, EARLY MARCH