Lightwater Valley will reopen next weekend, with new attractions and activities to attract families of younger children.
The adventure park near Ripon said visitors can expect a new discovery woods, dodgems, new food outlets, a hall of mirrors, an old-school amusement arcade and a new character for children to meet.
Ebor the Lightwater Dragon will meet and greet visitors and have his photo taken.
The friendly dragon is part of the park’s re-brand towards younger children aged up to 12 and will be at the centre of the daily entertainment programme throughout the year.
Discovery Woods will include a lakeside nature trail, a mud kitchen and cloud gazing.
Read more:
- Baby and toddler groups back on after the pandemic
- More children’s activities announced for Ripon Cathedral Spring Show
The park would not be complete without its rides, of which it has more than 35.
Some old favourites like the Eagle’s Claw, Skyrider and the Lady Bird rollercoaster will reopen alongside some gentler rides such as the carousel and the Lightwater Express train.
The Eagle’s Claw
The park has not confirmed if larger rides like the Ultimate will reopen but with its focus now on younger children some rides no longer fit the brief.
Treetop Trails, where visitors can walk across trampoline nets high above the park, will reopen.
No. 5: A new era for Harrogate’s Christmas markets
In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the controversial changes to Harrogate’s Christmas markets.
The organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market had 170 traders and 53 coaches booked to attend the annual event on Montpellier Hill in November when their plans were scuppered in July.
Harrogate Borough Council announced it had rejected the organisers’ event management plan because it “did not fully take into account the risk of overcrowding and necessary evacuation procedures, counter-terrorism measures and the ongoing risk of covid”.
The council quickly revealed plans to stage an alternative event in partnership with Market Place, a specialist market company from Greater Manchester. It later emerged the two organisations had been in talks since March.
The collaboration, which was extended to include Harrogate Business Improvement District, led to the creation of the first Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which took place in town centre streets from December 3 to 12.
Besides stalls, the fayre included a free road train called the Candy Cane Express, a carousel, helter skelter and ferris wheel.
The Candy Cane Express road train.
The town centre location and added attractions seemed to go down well, although some were disappointed with the lack of variety of stalls.
But it seems the event will return in 2022. Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, has spoken glowingly of it and of bringing it back next year.
Operations manager from Marketplace Europe, Andy Pidgen.
Andy Pidgen, operations manager at Market Place Europe, told the Stray Ferret:
“It went really well, the traders were very pleased. Some of the businesses I have spoken to said how good the event was for footfall. The council and Harrogate BID really liked it.
“We still need to have a debrief with both organisations in January but at the moment I would say I am feeling quite positive about next year.
“There are a few things I would like to tweak in terms of chalet locations but overall we would aim to make the Harrogate Christmas Fayre bigger and better in 2022.”
A separate artisan market was held in Valley Gardens on the first weekend of the fayre. Its success means the organisers, Little Bird Made, are now hoping to stage monthly artisan markets at the same venue.
Read more:
- Harrogate Christmas market cancelled
- Traders and visitors give thumbs-up to first Harrogate Christmas Fayre
What is yet to be seen is whether the council’s warm welcome would extend to the organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market, who hope to bring their event back next year.
Steve Scarre, the vice-chairman of the Harrogate Christmas Market.
Steve Scarre, vice-chairman of Harrogate Christmas Market, told the Stray Ferret that he will enter talks with the council and submit a new event management plan in January.
He said:
“We are planning to hold the Harrogate Christmas Market in the Montpellier Quarter next year.
“Every year there are new requirements that we have always tried to meet. We bend over backwards to make it as safe and enjoyable as possible.
“We have asked for a meeting with the council in January and plan to submit an event management plan then.
“From the very beginning we have said we have no issue with a separate event in the town centre.
“But our Harrogate Christmas Market works in the Montpellier Quarter. It is simply magical down there.”
Without the foresight of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, it seems difficult to predict at this stage how many markets Harrogate will get next Christmas.
WATCH: Lightwater Valley reopens at 30% capacityLightwater Valley theme park is open to the public again and running at 30% capacity.
To ensure social distancing around the park three of its rides – the Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo – have been closed and the number of visitors has been limited. The park is targeting young families for the summer season.
Colin Bowes, general manager, said:
“We’re working at 30% capacity at the moment so we can control the distancing the best we can.”
The park has plans to increase its capacity a little but will continue to measure this with visitor safety.
The park reopened on July 18 bringing all of its full time staff back to work. Due to the lower capacity only 150 seasonal staff have been hired, 100 fewer than the 2019.
Mr Bowes added:
“What we’re trying to do is keep the business going and protect jobs.”
Read more:
- WATCH as people in Harrogate give their opinions on mandatory mask wearing in shops.
- Ripon’s tourist attractions prepare to reopen.
Lightwater Valley set to reopen this weekend
North Yorkshire theme park Lightwater Valley will be welcoming visitors back as it reopens this weekend.
The theme park will be operating with reduced capacity and all visitors will need to pre-book tickets online. The park will have an increased cleaning regime along with floor markings and hand sanitiser stations.
Read more:
The general manager at Light Water Valley, Colin Bowes, said:
“We are delighted to be able to start welcoming visitors back but we also know how crucial it is that they feel safe. For this summer, to help us manage visitor numbers and keep everyone safe, we are focussing on running the rides and parts of the park which are more suited to a younger family audience.”
Lightwater Valley has been closed for over 3 months.
Most of the rides will be open but The Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo remain closed. Indoor play areas will also be closed and food will be take out only.