Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park in South Yorkshire is due to open for the first time on July 11.
This will be the fourth site in the Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts family. The theme park was meant to open earlier in the year, but this had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Excited to open
The Managing Director of Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, Julie Dalton, said “We are so excited to be finally opening Gulliver’s Valley to the public.
“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.”
Safety measures in place
Several new safety measures have been put into place in response to COVID-19. These include temperature checks upon arrival, contactless entry, social distancing within the park and a food pre-ordering system.
Tickets must be booked in advance to allow the park to operate with a limited capacity. This will allow all guests to socially distance within the park.
Dalton emphasised that “the health and wellbeing of our visitors and our employees really is our top priority and so we have made a number of changes to the park to reflect this, so that everyone feels comfortable and reassured whilst enjoying a fun and enjoyable day out.”
Some areas will remain closed
However, some areas of the theme park will open at a later date, such as the indoor soft play area. Dalton explained that “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”.
Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park is aimed at children between two and 13 years old and features rides such as the Apache Falls, a Ghostly Galleon private ship and even a Lost Jurassic World area.
Councillor Chris Read, the Leader of Rotherham Council, explained that the park will be “a catalyst for economic growth” and will maximise “social value for our area”. The theme park has created more than 120 jobs for the local area and used local suppliers to build the site.
Attractions across England will be able to reopen from July 4 as coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Merlin Entertainments has confirmed that its attractions, including theme parks and SEA LIFE centres, will reopen in July.
Images: Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park
