Livingstone Leisure has announced the acquisition of Birdland Park and Gardens.
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Birdland Park and Gardens, located in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, comprises woodland, riverside and gardens. The collection of more than 500 birds housed in a range of free-flying and aviary enclosures includes parrots, cassowaries and cranes as well as the UK’s only colony of king penguins.
Livingstone Leisure was set up in 2010 by Ian Cunningham and Michael Enright as a means to acquire day visitor attractions and create new build opportunities, as well as to provide management contracts for existing owners and consultancy services for the attractions industry. Cunningham was previously UK managing director of Spanish-based Aspro Ocio; co-founder of Blue Reef Leisure Ltd, with four aquariums in the UK, and operations director at the Eden Project.
The deal with Birdland represents the first acquisition by Livingstone Leisure. Cunningham says, “Birdland is the first in what we plan will be a series of new acquisitions over the coming years. We are currently in negotiations with a number of other leisure-based businesses.”