ATTRACTIONS 2.8 Hours Later shows signs of life A 1951 photograph of the rollercoaster


Dreamland rollercoaster hits another bump in the road


Britain’s oldest rollercoaster already has a storied past, and it suffered yet another set- back during the festive season when high winds blew part of the structure away. Te Grade II-listed ride was undergo-


ing restoration at the time as part of the renovation of the Dreamland amusement park in Margate, Kent. Te park said it hopes that the incident will not affect the planned opening date of May 2015. Te Scenic Railway rollercoaster was


one-third of the way through renovation works when the accident happened. Te much-loved wooden coaster, which first opened in 1921, is the amusement park’s signature ride and is central to its relaunch. “A small section of the north curve of the


structure was affected by the wind on the evening of 26 December, 2014,” a statement from Dreamland said. “Tis is part of the structure that has not yet been completed.” Te coaster is no stranger to such drama.


Te Scenic Railway was heavily damaged by fire in 1949 and parts of the structure were again hit by fire in 1957 and 2008. Details: http://lei.sr?a=w3g2m


Chessington fined £150k for 2012 fall incident


Chessington World of Adventures has been fined £150,000 aſter a four-year-old girl fell 14ſt (4.26m) and fractured her skull while waiting in a ride queue in June 2012. Te company admitted a charge relating


to section three of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was sentenced to the fine, plus £21,614 in costs at Guildford Crown Court. The incident, in which the child fell


through a gap in a wooden fence, leſt the girl with “life-changing” injuries, requir- ing “extensive rehabilitation and support.” Investigating health and safety inspec-


tor Karen Morris said: “This incident shows the importance of implementing robust systems for checking and maintain- ing all aspects of rides, and this includes the walkways and fencing associated with queuing and where people gather.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=u6V5n


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Interactive games com- pany Slingshot has revealed plans to expand its 2.8 Hours Later zombie expe- rience into the US and Europe after performing strongly in the UK in 2014. With many UK dates for


2015’s version of 2.8 Hours Later – known as Asylum – already sold out, Slingshot is looking at Germany and a city on the east coast of the US to host its first zom- bie chase events abroad. “It ’s essent ial ly


a


Popular in the UK, the brand is now expanding into the US and Germany


pedestrian roller coaster,” Simon Evans, director of Slingshot, told Leisure Opportunities. “It’s a route that’s 2 1/2 to 3 miles long covering public highways, private prop- erty, shopping centres and dark warehouses. Starting from a secret location, participants


will be chased across the city by hordes of “zombies”, attempting to survive long enough to make it to the end location without being infected. Once there, a ‘Zombie Disco’ lets guests relax aſter running for their lives. “It’s a bunch of permissions we need to seek,” continued Evans. “One of the things that has


held up our overseas expansion is the idea of permissions. We don’t need special licenses but we do need road closures and a licence for our aſter party to sell alcohol. We work very closely with local councils to make sure they know what we’re doing. Moving abroad it becomes a whole new ballgame,” he added. “When we go to the US, we’ll choose major cities and probably one not too far away from the UK. In Europe, we’re starting out with Germany, but if it proves successful we’ll expand further into the continent. Details: http://lei.sr?a=Y3b7v


Cullinan named new director of NPG


Experienced art curator Dr Nicholas Cullinan has been appointed new director of the National Portrait Gallery in London, having first worked there as a visitor services assistant 14 years ago. Cullinan, 37, is the cur-


rent curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and will take up his new post in Q2 2015. He becomes the Gallery’s 12th director, replacing the out- going Sandy Nairne, who announced last year he would step down aſter 12 years at the helm in order to pursue writing and advisory work. Having previously worked as curator of


Cullinan will become the Gallery’s second youngest director ever


(2014). He has also been responsible for sev- eral major works being acquired by the Met. “It will be an honour to lead the Gallery


International Modern Art at Tate Modern from 2007-2013, Yorkshireman Cullinan has turned heads in New York through develop- ing several high-profile projects. At the Met, he organised the exhibitions Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: Te Venini Company, 1932- 47 (2013) as well as Amie Siegel: Provenance


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


at a particularly exciting time in its develop- ment, to build upon its remarkable success and accomplishments and to work with its world-class team in shaping the future direc- tion,” said Cullinan, who first worked at the Gallery while studying at London’s Courtauld Institute of Art. Details: http://lei.sr?a=6y7M7


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2015


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