PW June 07 P26-27.qxd 5/21/07 11:21 am Page 26
Park Profile
Gulliver’s mascot Gully Mouse greets
local schoolchildren during the
opening event
ECO-PARK
Green is the theme for Gulliver’s second gate
The Gulliver’s family theme park group from we have to give them something different, something
England has opened its fourth park, and thrown educational.”
the rulebook out of the window …for recycling. The themes and topics explored at the new park
Owen Ralph unearths a new entertainment certainly don’t do any harm when it comes to attracting
concept in Milton Keynes. school groups off-peak either. In fact, Eco-Park has
appointed ex-teacher Natasha Swift as its education
G
ulliver’s Eco-Park is a second gate to this officer. “All the activities in Eco-Park lend themselves
existing Gulliver’s Land theme park in Milton perfectly to aiding the teaching of the national
Keynes, an hour or so north of London. Yet curriculum and covering topics such as sustainability,
unlike its neighbour and the other two Gulliver’s parks healthy living and science. Where would you rather be
in Matlock Bath and Warrington, Eco-Park is not – in a classroom being told about dinosaurs, or in a
focused on traditional ride and attractions. boat looking at one face to face?”
In fact, theme park purists will hate this park. A quick One of to the invited education professionals found
skim over any of the three areas that have opened thus roaming the park just after its official opening told Park
far – Evolution, Land and Water – will reveal a relatively World she felt certain details might have been missing
baron landscape with precious few rides. Yet scratch but overall the concept was good.
“
beneath the surface and there’s plenty to keep the Duncan Phillips reminds us that this is not a
The public
young ones happy. Gulliver’s has always been about classroom: “The aim is not to lecture or overload with
gets very
offering value-for-money family experiences, and this information but to have fun and entertainment at the
new outlet will suit the target 2 to 12-year-old down to forefront of the experience and allow that to plant its
frustrated
the ground with its mix of entertainment and education. own seeds of idea’s in visitor’s minds.”
when it sees
“It’s all about harnessing our industry skills to The front gate at Eco-Park is much more sober than
educate,” says Gulliver’s design and development
educational
director, Duncan Phillips. “The public gets very
frustrated when it sees educational attractions that are
Guests examine
attractions
dinosaur remains
not fun. Underneath Eco-Park is a very traditional
in the Bone Yard
that are not
theme park footprint made up of four lands.”
fun.
Eco-Park opened May 5 after a two-year construction
period and is the Phillips family’s first flirtation with the
Underneath
second gate concept. It could turn out could be a pretty
Eco-Park is a
savvy and well-timed move.
“We first thought about the concept five years ago,”
very traditional
says Duncan, “but now the environment is a buzz
theme park
word.” Eco-Park will satisfy parent’s desire for
something worthy, but by attaching the Gulliver’s name
footprint made
should encourage enough pester power from the kids
up of four
to get them there in the first place.
“The average local family may visit Gulliver’s Land
lands
”
three of four times a year, but when they want another
day out they’ll say they can’t go to Gulliver’s again, so
26 JUNE 2007
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56