Park People
Richard Smith Flambards Q Lines
on the doorstep you forget about it. In July and August we are almost totally reliant on the tourist trade, but the locals are important to us because of the recommendation they provide and the bigger window of opportunity they present throughout the year. There is also a certain reliance in the area for staff and the jobs that we provide. So now we want to get the message out that we are under new ownership and we will be taking things forward and developing the park. Ian Cunningham’s background is very much in turning businesses around and we hope to give it a shot of adrenaline, if you will.
What are some of the park’s strengths? Once you’ve bought a ticket it is valid all week so if you get rained off, or even if you get sunburned, then you can come back at your leisure. That was something we noticed in the aquariums – if it is too hot, after a few days people are looking for somewhere in-land to get away from it, so that works in our favour with the weather. People forget about our undercover attractions, the museums and the one2eleven soft play, which are open pretty much open year-round.
After 37 years under family ownership, the small British park Flambards got a new owner at the start of 2014. Livingstone Leisure, formerly Blue Reef Leisure, takes over the reigns of the Cornwall attraction from the Kingsford-Hale family. Lead by Ian Cunningham, Livingstone’s team brings with it experience of running other UK attractions including Cotswold Birdland and aquariums in Newquay, Portsmouth and Teignmouth. Here Richard Smith (pictured), newly installed as Flambards’ general manager, talks exclusively to Park World ahead of the new season.
How did the handover of the park go from (former owner) James Hale?
James was very supportive. Having someone close by to share his experience from his many years operating the park was a great help – from things as simple as the location of the water and electricity meters to insights about staff and the business in general. We’ve kept the majority of the staff. Certain employees took voluntary redundancy, which was inevitable, but the core team is still here, and they are working now to get ready for Easter..
What is your biggest immediate challenge? Flambard’s has been running now for 38 years. Everyone in Cornwall has been here at some point, but it’s almost one of those things that because it’s
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Why are the museum exhibits so important to Flambards? To be honest, the museums really are the jewel in our crown. They were founded by Mrs Hale and provide a real snapshot of Britain throughout the 20th century. They attract extended families to the park because they bring back a lot of memories; while the grandparents are reliving their history, the children can check out the rides and attractions. However, with the World Wars being quite poignant at the moment because of the WWI anniversary in 2014, there is quite a lot to interest to the school groups too.
What are your plans for new attractions? We know we are never going to be Alton Towers, and we will never try to be that. What we want to provide is a very good family experience and that means concentrating on the key product. Unfortunately January was later than we what have liked have to take over really, so there was not enough time to do much more than get the rides ready and tested, although we have got a new entertainment guy on board who’s got a few ideas. Inevitably, there won’t be any major new rides in the next year, but going forward I could see us making more in depth investments to raise the profile of the park in our 40th anniversary year (2016) if everything goes according to plan.
flambards.co.uk APRIL 2014
Off to a flying
start Located outside the town of Heston in the popular tourist county of Cornwall,
Flambards was founded in 1976 by Douglas
Kingsford-Hale on his retirement from the Royal Navy, together with his wife Audrey. What began life as the Cornwall Aircraft Park evolved into one of the south west’s most popular amusement parks, attracting up to 200,00 guests a year, but the museum exhibits remain an important part of the offer, including the Victorian Village (pictured below), Aviation Experience, War Gallery and Britain in the Blitz.
Rides and attractions include The Hornet rollercoaster (by Zierer), Skyraker 101 tower ride (SBF/Visa), Thunderbolt (Northern Amusements), Canyon River log flume, Balloon Race and Rockin’ Tug (Zamperla), plus a cycle monorail and carousel. In 2011, the park opened one2eleven, an indoor soft play area. James Hale, Douglas and
Audrey’s son who took over as managing director, cited the lack of any obvious successor as one of the reasons for the park’s sale. His daughter Susie did join the firm in recent years in a marketing role but has other plans since getting married. It is also suggested the family was having financial difficulties in keeping the park going. Now it gets a fresh start as part of Livinsgtone Leisure, where it will benefit from shared resources with other local attractions. Flambards was set to reopen fully on 5 April, ready for the Easter holidays. In the meantime, Park World wishes James Hale well with his future endeavours.
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