attractionS & muSeumS


Paul Kelly named new BALPPA CEO


Former Torpe Park boss Paul Kelly has been named the new chief executive of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA). Kelly is well known in the industry from


his long service to Torpe Park, where he began his career in 1988 before progressing through the ranks to become park manager in 1994. He was then named head of opera- tions at London Eye in 1999 and later took over a new business development role at Merlin Entertainments - owner of London Eye. Details: http://lei.sr?a=Q8R9M


Shard attraction details revealed


The View from The Shard (VTS), a new visitor expe- rience located at the top of Europe’s tallest building in London, will open to the pub- lic on 1 February. Details of the attraction’s


design were revealed for the first time on 25 October by Anders Nyberg, VTS chief executive. Te attraction will take guests on a journey to 244m (800ſt) above London, twice as high as any viewing point in the city. A series of colourful tongue-in-cheek


Te high-rise attraction will open to the public on 1 February 2013 From the ground floor, guests depart in two


illustrations of famous Londoners in playful juxtapositions will greet visitors at the entrance to Te View from Te Shard. Here Margaret Tatcher and Karl Max are pictured out for a ride together on a tandem bicycle; Vidal Sassoon and Vivienne Westwood are giving King Charles I a makeover; and George Orwell is installing CCTV cameras.


Te historic ruins will become a major attraction


Swansea castle redevelopment planned


Swansea Council has approved plans to redevelop the city’s historic castle into a major new visitor attraction. Swansea Castle was built more than 800


years ago and its ruins dominate Castle Square in the city centre. Swansea Council has already been working with the Welsh Government and historic environment service Cadw to make the landmark more accessible to visitors and has now approved plans to invest further in the site to estab- lish it as a major visitor attraction. Te next phase of the work will involve


landscaping works within the courtyard that will be designed to increase public use. Tere will also be improvements to the lighting scheme to highlight points of interest and an interpretation project will be designed to provide information to res- idents and visitors regarding the historical and cultural significance of the castle. Councillor Nick Bradley, Swansea


Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Working in close partnership with the Welsh Government and Cadw meant we were able to open up Swansea Castle for the first time in decades. “The next phase of works being


proposed will further improve the land- mark and attract even more visitors.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=S6A5D


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high-speed liſts that take just 30 seconds to reach the viewing platforms. On their journey skywards they will be


accompanied by a soaring anthem from the London Symphony Orchestra, building antic- ipation of being able to enjoy 64km (40 mile), 360-degree views over the capital and beyond. Details: http://lei.sr?a=y3F2a


Falling visitor numbers close Camelot park


Knights Leisure, opera- tor of Camelot theme park in Chorley, Lancashire, has announced that the park will not be reopening for the 2013 season. Knights Leisure direc- tor Mark Leader said: “While we have become used to the inclement summer weather in the UK during the past few years, a combination of the wettest summer for 100 years, the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations followed by the spectacular television cov- erage of the Olympic Games during our busiest months of the year had a major impact on visitors to the park.” All of the equipment owned by Knights


Leisure is to be put up for sale. Camelot theme park closed temporarily in early 2009 when its owner, Prime Resorts, went


Camelot’s operator blamed a number of factors for dwindling attendance


into administration. It reopened two months later in May aſter being acquired by Te Story Group, a newly-formed company led by the for- mer chief executive of Prime Resorts, Roy Page. Te park was then leased to Knights Leisure. Details: http://lei.sr?a=G7H1Z


Castlehill heritage attraction opens in Dungannon


A new £5.5m heritage park and visitor attrac- tion has opened on the Castlehill site in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. Located on the grounds of the town’s for-


mer Belfast Bank, the Hill of Te O’Neill & Ranfurly House Arts & Visitor Centre includes


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


a multimedia exhibition that narrates the story of Dungannon and Ireland’s famous O’Neill Dynasty – aſter whom the hill has been named. Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council invested £2.6m in the project with £2.3m fund- ing secured from the HLF.


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2012


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