For Pleasurewood Hills it will mean the park will launch a host of new attractions over the coming months including a £65,000 indoor Laser Labyrinth game, an educational nature trail and a new train station.
This Alexis seems all talk as far as I'm aware, how on earth are these silly attractions going to improve the park? You've got parks like Ligh****er with a very tight budget buying 7 new rides for this year, including a Topscan and the old Tempest from Pleasurewood.
Yet, Pleasurewood, with a multi-billion pound backing, is getting a nature trail and laser quest?
This to me seems like new owners, same old story.
Early days of course, but yeah seems that way.....
LWV's developments for this season make sense - its what i've been saying since god knows when: You can get decent used attractions on a budget. Jeez, i'd have been happy for PWH to get just ONE of these used rides in for 2011!!!
Great news, I just hope this brings with it some serious investment into the attractions. The Laser attraction is bound to be an indoor laser shoot em up on foot and not a ride based system. I am just speculating based on the relatively small budget of 65,000 for it.
Here's to the future of PWH and may it be a good one!!
^ I've always thought the future of the park is actually secure. It has a strong bond with locals, and holiday makers alike. But I just dont see any rides on the scale of Wipeout anymore.
Please, by all means prove me wrong Woody
-- Edited by Martyn on Wednesday 2nd of February 2011 07:09:31 AM
Now then, I've been doing a bit of math, and the lack of investment isn't as bad as I first thought. 20m Euro's divided by the 7 parks is 2.85m Euros each, now change that in to pounds and its between £2-2.5m each. Now I'll go for the top end figure, and divide that by the 5 years they quoted, and thats £500k each year!
And thats just an average remember, they spend less one year, then double the next? Or theymay well get more than some of the other parks who knows?! But it certainly ain't that bad really.
I did think that last night regarding the questionable maths. I didn't question it as having been absent for a while I assumed maybe there was so news about maybe PWH getting a smaller slice of the pie. So we could see some good investment and hopefully the removal of Thunderstruck to be replaced with a more exciting permanent flat. This is very good news for the park.
^ I was thinking earlier about when MegaDrop was announced, I went mental to say the least. Yet they removed it for Tunderstruck.... I know its only one ride, but if they had never done that, the park would be SO much better in my opinion.
Mega Drop and Eye in the Sky are living proof that we can have tall rides at the park. Grr, Pleasurewood gets me so frustrated!
PLEASUREWOOD Hills is investing £180,000 in its facilities for the summer season.
The money is being spent upgrading soundproofing and the park's layout, and on new computer systems and conferencing facilities, along with a number of cosmetic improvements.
The attraction at Gunton in Lowestoft won 'Best Visitor Experience' award in the 2009 Tourism in Suffolk Awards, but its managers say they are keen to keep 'making progress' and developing its facilities.
One change will see the park's popular train re-routed to reduce noise and a new train station built to serve as access to a brand new nature trail, which will be launched next season.
A new till and computer system will be installed soon in an effort to make entering the park a more straightforward and streamlined process for visitors and park management.
New 'non-slip' flooring will be fitted at the park's fish restaurant, The Merry Mariner, and padding will be installed to help reduce noise from extreme thrill rides such as Wipeout and Enigma.
Meanwhile, The Palladium Theatre will be transformed into a new conference centre and be stripped to allow for improvments including a new suspended ceiling, a drop-down screen and the addition of brand new furniture. A marquee and barbecue area will also be developed at the rear of the park for special events such as birthday parties or large corporate team-building 'away-days'.
The Castle Theatre which is home to a number of popular entertainment shows, will also be improved with new ladies, gents and disabled toilets and another new suspended ceiling above.
The changes follow the arrival in March this year of Alexis Camelin, the park's general manager, who has already overseen the building of a new £55,000 children's play park
He said: “Pleasurewood Hills has long been a family favourite, coupled with the fact that it's the largest theme park in East Anglia. However, we are making progress in updating and enhancing the rides, attractions and eateries we already have in a bid to put the park on par with larger, family friendly parks such as Flamingo Land in Yorkshire. Pleasurewood Hills will continue to maintain its unique charm and friendliness, so we hope that people notice and enjoy the enhancements"
So does that mean they've completely taken the train out of the woods? I really want to know more about this Nature Trail!
Thanks for bringing that article up again Martyn. The changes, albeit not that exciting, are a great step in the right direction. The addition of toilets at the Castle Theatre is great although it would be nice if they were upgrading the seating also as it is currently awful.
The Nature Trail is intriguing to say the least and i look forward to the new station and track reroute. It seems that the park are continuing with these 'little touches' and it is these that will continue to improve the park and shed it in a good light.
-- Edited by Josh on Thursday 3rd of February 2011 11:53:25 PM
PLEASUREWOOD Hills is investing £180,000 in its facilities for the summer season.
The money is being spent upgrading soundproofing and the park's layout, and on new computer systems and conferencing facilities, along with a number of cosmetic improvements.
The attraction at Gunton in Lowestoft won 'Best Visitor Experience' award in the 2009 Tourism in Suffolk Awards, but its managers say they are keen to keep 'making progress' and developing its facilities.
One change will see the park's popular train re-routed to reduce noise and a new train station built to serve as access to a brand new nature trail, which will be launched next season.
A new till and computer system will be installed soon in an effort to make entering the park a more straightforward and streamlined process for visitors and park management.
New 'non-slip' flooring will be fitted at the park's fish restaurant, The Merry Mariner, and padding will be installed to help reduce noise from extreme thrill rides such as Wipeout and Enigma.
Meanwhile, The Palladium Theatre will be transformed into a new conference centre and be stripped to allow for improvments including a new suspended ceiling, a drop-down screen and the addition of brand new furniture. A marquee and barbecue area will also be developed at the rear of the park for special events such as birthday parties or large corporate team-building 'away-days'.
The Castle Theatre which is home to a number of popular entertainment shows, will also be improved with new ladies, gents and disabled toilets and another new suspended ceiling above.
The changes follow the arrival in March this year of Alexis Camelin, the park's general manager, who has already overseen the building of a new £55,000 children's play park
He said: “Pleasurewood Hills has long been a family favourite, coupled with the fact that it's the largest theme park in East Anglia. However, we are making progress in updating and enhancing the rides, attractions and eateries we already have in a bid to put the park on par with larger, family friendly parks such as Flamingo Land in Yorkshire. Pleasurewood Hills will continue to maintain its unique charm and friendliness, so we hope that people notice and enjoy the enhancements"
So does that mean they've completely taken the train out of the woods? I really want to know more about this Nature Trail!
no, i don't think so, i think this is the work that has already been done making the track a bit smaller by removing it from part of the woods to make way for the nature trail
Good news about the new entrance system. Turnstiles are so much quicker and look a million times better than a wooden gate. I drove past the old entrance the other day, by the golf course.
I actually think now, that it'd be a nice way to enter the park, even if it would need a little cleaning up. It seems so much more 'foresty' and 'theme park-ish'. Even though parking would probably be an issue. Think of the car park land that they could use to build newer rides on!
Yeah, if you imagine going to the sea lion show the old way, it was further along the covered walkway canopies that you passed through. When Wipeout first had it's track delivered, it was stored on old pathways behind that whole area.
ok so the park hs been sold to HIG capital and they have said the new station and nature trail will be there this year and thay have said they will install a lazer attraction for 65k but it is unknown to wheter it is a game stall, aquasar game or possably a ride based shooter.
Stop being lazy Patrick, there's isn't that much to read!
Yeah, if you imagine going to the sea lion show the old way, it was further along the covered walkway canopies that you passed through. When Wipeout first had it's track delivered, it was stored on old pathways behind that whole area.
Yeah that drive is currently used as access to the maintenance area right in the back corner. They should free that space up moving the maintenance area to the grass patch outside the park, next to SNIG (as you drive through the gate and turn left, its on the left, with the car park to the right).
Well if that was the reason, then its their own fault for not giving people a reason to return.
They clearly had big plans for Pleasurewood, but I think the problems with Wipeout made them realise they wont be able to take the park where they wanted to.
Sorry to hear you're having problems, Martyn. Here's the text from that page in Google Translated English:
While the French entertainment group Looping saw its main shareholder changed in January, passing under the banner of Belgian investment fund Ergon Capital Partners ( see article ), after the departure of HIG Capital . We learn through the press, the arrival this week of another shareholder, minority in the group's capital. This is Bpifrance , French organization specializing in finance and business development.
The group Looping consists of eleven parks including seven in France (Planète Sauvage, La Mer de Sable, Bagatelle, Mini-Châteaux, the Grand Aquarium of Touraine, Cobac Park and the Grand Aquarium of Saint-Malo) and four abroad (Aquaparc Le Bouveret, Switzerland, the Netherlands Hellendoorn, Pleasurewood Hills UK and Isla Magica in Spain).
Created in 2011 to mark the resumption of seven amusement parks of the CDA by Laurent Bruloyassociated with HIG Capital , the group Looping experienced the last five years of steady growth, doubling in size so to achieve turnover of nearly 60 million.