Official opening date revealed for Yorkshire's Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park

The £37 million resort in Rotherham is set to open its doors to the public for the first time, on Saturday, July 11.

The park, near the Rother Valley Country Park​, is aimed at children between the ages of two and 13-year-old.

There are a whole host of rides and attractions, including an Apache Falls ride, full-size diggers, the Ghostly Galleon pirate ship and a Lost Jurassic World area.

Families can stay over too in the on-site accommodation, which even offers sleepover adventures for children.

A number of additional safety measures have since been made, including temperature checks on arrival, mandatory advanced booking, contactless entry, social distancing measures and a food pre-ordering system.

The park will also be operating on a limited capacity, with pre-booked slots only, to adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines.

Some parts of the park, including the indoor soft play area, will open at a later date.

Julie Dalton, managing director of the family-run Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, 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.

"Of course, the health and wellbeing of our visitors and our employees really is 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."

Julie added: “Despite the difficult period we’re all living in, we’re thrilled with how Gulliver’s Valley has come together so far.

"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, but we truly believe the magic of Gulliver’s is needed now more than ever and we can’t wait to welcome our first customers in very soon."

The Leader of Rotherham Council, Councillor Chris Read, said: “The site at Pit House West for too long stood vacant, so it is brilliant to see the fabulous Gulliver’s Valley project realised in bricks and mortar, jobs and opportunities.

"It is an exciting development which will attract many thousands of visitors to our borough and is an exemplar of the kind of business that we would want our area to be known for.

"The park will also be a catalyst for economic growth and I particularly welcome Julie Dalton’s commitment to use local suppliers and staff. It’s a great example of the kind of local economic project, maximising social value for our area, that we want to see more of.

"A number of local suppliers have been used by Gulliver’s to help transform the former pit site and more than 1000 Yorkshire trees have been planted there.

"Of course, this is only the first stage of the long-term plan to build an attraction of truly national significance.

"Local families, and those from further afield, will be able to visit a first-class attraction and we can’t wait to see the doors open and the first visitors take in the new surroundings and have some fun."

Tickets must be purchased in advance, walk ins will not be granted entry to the park.

For further information and to purchase advance tickets for Gulliver’s Valley, visit: www.gulliversvalleyresort.co.ukA message from the Editor:

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