Theme park announces opening date

The new multimillion-pound Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park in Rotherham is set to open its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday 11 July.

The park, which becomes the fourth site in the Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts family, was forced to postpone its planned opening earlier this year due to the pandemic.

A number of additional safety measures have since been made to the park, including temperature checks on arrival, mandatory advanced booking, contactless entry, social distancing measures and a food pre-ordering system.

The park will also be operating on a limited capacity, with pre-booked slots only, to adhere to the Government’s social distancing guidelines.

Julie Dalton, managing director of the family-run Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, said: “The last few months have been tough to say the least – when we started work on the park, we didn’t ever expect to be faced with a global pandemic.

“But I am proud to say our team has risen to the challenge and worked hard to enable us to open, just one month later than we initially planned.

“Of course, the health and wellbeing of our visitors and our employees really is top priority and so we have made a number of changes to the park to reflect this, so everyone feels comfortable and reassured whilst enjoying a fun and enjoyable day out.”

Aimed at children between the ages of two and 13-years-old, the new Gulliver’s Valley houses a host of rides and attractions, including an Apache Falls ride, full-size diggers, the Ghostly Galleon pirate ship and a Lost Jurassic World area.

Accommodation options are also available, including Unicorn and Princess Suites alongside Western Cabins and Lost World Lodges, with sleepover adventures on offer.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and social distancing requirements, some parts of the park, including the indoor soft play area, will open at a later date.

Dalton added: “Despite the difficult period we’re all living in, we’re thrilled with how Gulliver’s Valley has come together so far.

“We have had to adapt accordingly to this new state of normal and that has meant a few areas of the park will need to open later than we’d hoped while we await further Government guidance.

“But we truly believe the magic of Gulliver’s is needed now more than ever and we can’t wait to welcome our first customers in very soon.”

Leader of Rotherham Council, Councillor Chris Read, said: “The site at Pit House West for too long stood vacant, so it is brilliant to see the fabulous Gulliver’s Valley project realised in bricks and mortar, jobs and opportunities.

“It is an exciting development which will attract many thousands of visitors to our borough and is an exemplar of the kind of business that we would want our area to be known for.

“The park will also be a catalyst for economic growth and I particularly welcome Julie Dalton’s commitment to use local suppliers and staff.

“It’s a great example of the kind of local economic project, maximising social value for our area, that we want to see more of.”

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