Latest news with #WicksteedPark
Telegraph
28-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's charming, old-fashioned theme parks are at risk of extinction
If success was measured by the volume of screaming children, then business was positively booming on my recent visit to Wicksteed Park. I was at Kettering's beloved amusement park, watching a few dozen children and their parents yelping in terrified glee on a chair swing ride. Their adrenaline rush was transient, but they were taking part in a ritual that has lasted for more than 100 years. Since the 1920s, people have travelled across the country to swing, slide, drop and splash on the park's revolutionary amusements. And revolutionary they truly are: the founder, Charles Wicksteed, designed many of the rides himself. To this day, you'll find his name embossed on playground swings and slides across the land. But now, more than ever before, Wicksteed and other traditional theme parks face altitudinous struggles. And in recent months, some have gone from wobbling on the tracks to being fully derailed. Why so? The theme parks shutting their doors In November last year, West Cornwall's beloved theme park, Flambards, closed its doors after 48 years. Bosses pointed to 'rising costs and a steady decline in visitor numbers' as the main causes of the park's sudden closure. Five months later, Wales's largest theme park announced it was shutting its doors. At its prime, 400,000 people per year would pass through the gates at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire. However, 'unrelenting economic challenges' ultimately killed the country's flagship theme park after 38 years in operation. The Blackpool Pier Company, which owns the city's south, central and north piers, posted a 2023 pre-tax loss of £335,652 compared to a pre-tax profit of £354.231 in 2022. Challenges include the ongoing improvement and maintenance of old structures, while overhead costs and minimum wage rises have also put pressure on profitability. Similar seaside attractions, such as Dreamland in Margate, have pivoted to live concerts to stay afloat. Just this week, Fantasy Island in Skegness announced it would be reducing to a five-day week in the off-season and is closing its doors earlier each day to save costs. Bosses have also had to cut their seasonal workforce by 15 per cent, in part due to the rising cost of National Insurance contributions. So far, so gloomy. But like a rollercoaster track, the success of Britain's theme parks has been up and down over the years. In 2010, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park recorded their highest ever attendances. During the pandemic, rides gathered dust. So is the current lull at Britain's smaller theme parks entirely down to economic factors, or are there other forces at play? A perfect storm of challenges 'We've struggled with hitting anything like the same number of paying visitors as pre-pandemic,' says Kelly Richardson, managing director at Wicksteed Park, as a flurry of dangling legs zoom above our heads. She points to the cost of living crisis as a primary cause. 'If people are making a difficult choice between food and heat, what drops off first is your spending money for days out.' With no multimillion pound holding company behind it, Wicksteed Park feels the economic bumps more acutely than behemoths like Legoland or the Merlin parks of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. The charitable trust has recently used a £250,000 grant to recruit a fundraising team in a bid to balance the books. 'We're a high energy user,' Richardson says. 'There was an intensive energy relief scheme that the government released. It supported lots of industries that were recognised to be high users of energy. But theme parks weren't included.' During the pandemic, Wicksteed narrowly avoided collapse after falling into administration with the loss of 115 jobs. What makes Wicksteed unique is that you don't need to pay to enter. With 25 rides set across 281 acres of Grade II-listed parkland, a grandparent can enter for free and just pay £3-a-pop for their grandchildren to go on some rides. So while Wicksteed's annual tally of 800,000 visitors sounds like a healthy number, only approximately 200,000 of those are paying customers. Unless more cash is found, the business may have no option but to start charging for entry to the park to meet the £1.4 million annual upkeep costs. There are other challenges. Two consecutive poor summers for weather in 2023 and 2024 have hit business, while expensive flood damage and tree falls caused by storms have become more regular occurrences. Richardson says she has also observed broader behavioural changes since the pandemic. 'People don't seem to be planning family days out as much as they used to. Locally we've got Rushden Lakes which is a big shopping centre. It's always busy. People are going out to do something, but not necessarily the same types of day out that they were doing before.' As we wander Wicksteed's well-kept gardens we pass the Wicky Bear Show, which is temporarily closed due to the cost of entertainment staff. Otherwise, its old-fashioned stalwarts are running as usual. There is a water chute, a miniature steam railway, plus the obligatory carousel, cup and saucers and dodgems. I could see why comedian James Acaster (a Kettering local) made a Wicksteed-inspired showstopper cake when he appeared on Celebrity Bake Off in 2019. There's a simple charm to the place, and I made a mental note to bring my son here when he's a little bit older. But then I had another thought. By the time he's of rollercoaster age, he may well be urging me to pull off the M1 a junction or two early so we can visit another theme park, just 22 miles south of Kettering. Universal domination? It really could happen As some of Britain's smaller theme parks struggle for survival, one of the biggest entertainment firms on the planet is preparing to open a theme park on British soil. Universal Studios has purchased a 500-acre plot of land south of Bedford, where it plans to build a theme park at a cost of £50 billion with a scheduled opening date of 2031. While details are thin on the ground, it is expected that the theme park will feature state-of-the-art technology incorporating some of its biggest franchises: the characters from Nintendo, Harry Potter and Minions are a few on its books. Universal has the benefit of optimising its attractions to the current generation. The company also has plenty of experience in producing weather-proof indoor rides (drizzly Osaka, scorching Orlando), giving it the upper hand on Wicksteed, which sees daily visitor numbers plummet if weather apps are showing even a low-chance of rain. I worry for Wicksteed, and all of Britain's traditional theme parks, as attention spans change, technologies accelerate, teen habits alter, and fanbases grow for recognised global brands (with all due respect to Wicky Bear, of course). But hey. For now, on my visit, everyone at Wicksteed was having a lovely time and with the sun shining, attendance wasn't too bad. And Wicksteed has one thing that Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland and Universal – and further afield, Disney – will never be able to say.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wicksteed Park hedgehog charter launched ahead of nature festival
A charter to safeguard hedgehogs at a park has been introduced ahead of a new nature festival dedicated to the understanding and protection of wildlife Hedgehog Charter was developed by Wicksteed Park and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and commits to actions aimed at reversing the steep decline in populations across the of the measures being taken at the Northamptonshire site include ramps being installed along the lake's edges to help the animals escape Vass, chief executive of BHPS, said she was "delighted that Wicksteed Park has launched a Hedgehog Charter", which "highlights an important commitment to protecting our native wild hedgehogs". The animals live in a variety of habitats including woodland, farmland, parks and gardens, but can also thrive in urban to the latest State of Britain's Hedgehogs report, between 30% and 75% of the population has been lost in rural areas in the last 20 drop in numbers varies between regions, but the largest falls are in the eastern half of England. 'Vital role' The charter pledges to enhance natural habitats, reduce chemical use and monitor hedgehog activity across the park in stickers will be placed in all areas storing equipment to remind staff to look out for the animals when tending the grounds. Also, ramps will be installed around the lake to help hedgehogs and other animals escape when entering the Richardson, Wicksteed Park's director, said hedgehogs played "a vital role within our ecosystems".The first Festival of Nature, run by Kettering Nature Group, is taking place at the park on Saturday. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
08-05-2025
- The Sun
How I pay just £10pp on theme park days out for a family-of-five – my savvy tricks for saving hundreds
THEME park season is here and we all know how quickly costs can add up if you're not careful. My boys love riding the rollercoasters but I don't want to be forking out hundreds just for one day of fun. 12 12 Instead I've got my tried and tested tips that keep costs down - I aim to spend less than £100 for our family of five for entry, parking and food. Sometimes I even do it for less than £50! Free entry parks 12 While most theme parks now charge for entry at the gate, there are still a few dotted around the country that let visitors in free, with wristbands or tokens to pay for the rides. That means if you're going with grandparents who don't want to go on many attractions, they can have a wander and spend time with their family without having to pay for the privilege. Our favourite is Wicksteed Park in Kettering, which is open access to all. You pay for parking and rides, but there are playgrounds around the site and lovely nature walks that don't cost a penny. Another great free-entry option is Southend Adventure Island, where anyone aged over 14 rides free when accompanying a paying guest under 120cm. Bring your own grub 12 With ice creams costing around £3 or £4 each nowadays, eating and drinking on your day out can soon add up, especially if you've got a horde of hungry boys like me. I'd rather chuck together a homemade picnic and take it with us to save some cash. Then I don't mind splashing out for treats during the day. I also don't want to waste time queuing at food stalls, so bringing our own lunch means more time on rides as we can eat wherever and whenever we want. I usually manage to spend less than a tenner to feed us all, including sandwiches, crisps, fruit and sweets. We bring refillable water bottles too so that we can keep hydrated without having to buy fizzy drinks. I've even been known to keep a flask full of hot water in the car so I can get everyone fed before we head home if we've got a bit of a journey. It's easy to warm up a few hot dog sausages and pop them in a bun, just don't forget the ketchup! Little theme parks, lower fees Smaller parks tend to have fewer rides but also lower fees, so they can be perfect if you're out and about with little ones who aren't fussed about going upside down or getting soaked on a log flume. We always have a great time at Gulliver's, which has sites in Milton Keynes, Matlock Bath, Warrington and Rotherham, and often has tickets for £15 each. We've also got a couple of smaller parks aimed at primary-aged children near us, including Wheelgates in Nottinghamshire and Twinlakes in South Leicestershire, which are on my list to check out with my littlest boy this summer as tickets are only £17 each. Check out overnight stays If you're going to the big-name parks like Alton Towers, you can save if you book car parking in advance as it's usually cheaper than on the day. It's also worth taking a look at an overnight stay to see if the perks add up for you. We visited Legoland at the end of the school holidays one summer as we had an extra inset day when everyone else had headed back to school. Booking last minute, our overnight stay in the Legoland Hotel, which included parking, breakfast, Lego toys in the room, use of the indoor pool, evening entertainment and early access to the park through a dedicated hotel entrance closer to the rides, was £149 for four of us. Bargain! Don't pay on-the-gate prices 12 It's worth taking time to research the best deal for your party, depending on who is coming along. We used to love toddler and adult deals, which often keep costs low if you're visiting midweek with a little one. At Drayton Manor near Tamworth, entry for an adult and a child aged four and under costs just £27.50, while Legoland's adult and preschooler ticket is £29. Some places like Alton Towers and Warwick Castle even run this deal up to the age of five, so it's worth checking. There's loads of other ways to save too, whether it's grabbing a free pair of Sun Club tickets, getting discount codes from packs of groceries, converting Tesco Clubcard points into days out vouchers or using membership schemes like Kids Pass or Blue Light Card. I don't think I've ever paid the full price for a theme park day out as there's so many early accessible discounts around. Do a bit of research and you could end up saving hundreds of pounds if you find the right deal for your family. Use these tips on your next theme park trip Next time you visit a theme park, you may want to use our top tips to make the most of your adrenaline-inducing day out. Go to the back of the theme park first. Rides at the front will have the longest queues as soon as it opens. Go on water rides in the middle of the day in the summer - this will cool you off when the sun is at its hottest. Download the park's app to track which rides have the shortest queues. Visit on your birthday, as some parks give out "birthday badges" that can get you freebies. If it rains, contact the park. Depending on how much it rained, you may get a free ticket to return.
BBC News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Irthlingborough toddlers named World Puddle Jumping Champions
Three toddlers from the same family have been named joint winners of the World Puddle Jumping 4, and his twin sisters, Maia and Neeve, both three, from Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, were crowned champions after a video of their muddy efforts impressed annual event, run by Wicksteed Park in Kettering since 2013, invites participants to submit videos jumping into any suitable puddle. Their mother, Hayley, said: "My three just love jumping in muddy puddles. They often have competitions between themselves to see who can make the biggest splash. The muddier the better. They are delighted to have won!" The competition has seen thousands of entries over the years, with previous winners coming from across the UK and as far afield as award points based on the height of the jump, distance of the splash, enthusiasm, and the amount of mud that sticks to the competitor – known as "stickability".The winners each received a Wicky Bear cuddly toy (the mascot of Wicksteed Park) and a family day out at the Park director Kelly Richardson said: "We've never had joint winners of the World Puddle Jumping Championships before, but Eli, Maia and Neeve showed such enthusiasm and generated so many muddy splashes that there was no way we could separate them and they are all deserved winners." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
