THE JORVIK Viking Centre is launching a massive fundraising campaign and will take exhibitions on tour around the city while the flood-hit attraction is being rebuilt this year.

As the 32nd JORVIK Viking Festival opens, the centre's owners the York Archaeological Trust have announced three major exhibitions - including one at the Theatre Royal - to celebrate York's Norse heritage whilst the Coppergate attraction is out of action.

The Trust's chief executive David Jennings said: “Whilst we could simply replicate the pre-flood displays, our mission to educate in an accessible way drives us to plan how we can do it even better than before – and to do this, we will need to raise a significant sum of money.

“Whilst this is an ambitious plan for an independent charity, we have 18 million ambassadors for the JORVIK experience, and the high-profile nature of the flooding means that people around the world are aware of our plight.”

The Trust is also looking to raise £2 million through "Campaign Canute" to recreate the Viking city for visitors, and aim to have the centre open once again for business by February 2017.

A full 12 months of fundraising lies ahead for the Trust, but facing a Viking-free year, the JORVIK team wanted to make sure that tourists and school groups don't miss out.

Director of attractions Sarah Maltby said: "We know how important JORVIK and the Vikings are to the city, which is why we’re continuing to host Europe’s largest Viking festival, and hopefully welcome another 40,000 people into the city, particularly as York’s experienced a very quiet January."

The festival's theme this year is King Canute, and as he is best known for trying to turn back the sea, the Trust is using his name to launch the fundraising initiative - Campaign Canute.

Sarah added: “We are delighted to be partnering with the York Theatre Royal and in talks with two other central venues to host three Viking exhibitions, the first of which will open in April and the other two in time for the summer."

Donations can be made at www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk, or at any of the JORVIK Group's other attractions. Information on the Viking Festival is at www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk