£15m investment announced for attraction

UK and Ireland investor, BGF, has invested £15m into Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP).

Alongside BGF, Lloyds Bank has also committed an £18m debt facility which, together with BGF’s investment, will support the expansion of YWP’s existing park with the aim of doubling its size and significantly increasing the annual visitor numbers from 750,000 to 1.5 million. 

At the new entrance to the park, there will also be a new and free to enter boutique leisure destination, expected to attract its own local audience as well as providing unique facilities for the day visitors to the Wildlife Park. 

This phased development will ultimately include a new themed restaurant with an adjacent giant children’s playbarn, two other restaurants, a wildlife-themed hotel, a lifestyle retail offering and a flexible venue for conferences and events.

The new development will cater for both the family and corporate market.  

As part of the deal, Steve Brown, a founding director of Center Parcs UK and non-executive chair of BGF-backed holiday park developer Coppergreen, has also joined the YWP board as non-executive chair.  

John Minion, CEO of Yorkshire Wildlife Park, said, “Our founding mission at YWP was to create a dynamic wildlife experience that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity on a global scale.

“Thanks to the hard work of a talented and driven local team, we have developed an award-winning, interactive park with ground-breaking animal reserves and facilities that plays a vital role in both the local economy and international welfare programmes.

“We’re delighted to welcome BGF on board to support our plans to expand our offering to position YWP as a destination, providing one of the stand-out visitor experiences in the country.” 

Barry Jackson, investor at BGF, said,  “Over the last eleven years, YWP has earned an international reputation for conservation, animal welfare and high-quality visitor experiences.

“John and the team have an ambitious and clear strategy for growth, and we’re delighted to be supporting the business as it expands its facilities to be able to rescue more animals and allow more visitors to be educated and inspired by its conservation efforts.” 

The investment was led for BGF by Barry Jackson and Mark Rigby. 

Advisors to the transaction were: BGF: Gordons – James Fawcett (legal); Yorkshire Wildlife Park: Shoosmiths – James Foster (legal); and Lloyds: Addleshaw Goddard (legal). 

Set up in 2008 by founder directors Steve Minion, John Minion, Cheryl Williams and Neville Williams, Yorkshire Wildlife Park is located near Doncaster. It is home to more than 450 animals and over 70 different species.

With a staff of 300, the park has made a significant contribution to the local economy over the last eleven years.

In 2019 it hosted educational visits of more than 88,000 school children with more than 33,000 of those learners benefiting from its education programmes taught by the Education Team.

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