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Brean Theme Park

They have a history of doing this, they sold their kmg booster then bought exactly the same model as its replacement. They've also sold their perrin Stevens jump and smile to then hire an older safeco model.
Pretty sure the Reverchon flume is a replacement for the Reverchon flume that was there when I worked there.
The Cadell brothers would never have let the park end up like this, so many poor businesses decisions
 
Oh, dear… if Brean closes, that’s the demise of what is probably a decent contender for most noteworthy theme park in the South West! That’s admittedly not saying an awful lot, as the South West is uniquely scant of major theme parks compared to most other regions of England, but the only one I can think of in the ONS region that would even be a vague competitor is Crealy in Exeter.

That would also be the demise of one of my closest theme parks, which would make the theme park scene in my local area even more depressing than it already is…

I should probably be more upset than I am about it being in liquidation, as it’s never nice to see a park in trouble and I should be bigging up my local(ish) theme park scene, but I’ll just say that the fact I only live an hour away from Brean yet have been once in 2023 and never before or since speaks volumes about my lack of passion towards it.
 
It's an absolute bloodbath in the hospitality and leisure industry at the moment. My newsfeed it littered with closure after closure. Brean going will leave Crealys as the only significant park in the South West. It's brutal out there.
 
Out of curiosity i looked up Brean, as I'd sort of heard of Brean Sands but wasn't familiar and wow, looking at aerial images the whole town is just holiday chalet and static caravan villages! No wonder a theme park there is not doing well as those sort of holidays are losing favour.
 
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Smudgy said:
This is starting to become genuinely concerning, we’re losing at least 1 or 2 parks a year now, and we’ve had, what, one park open in the last decade?
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Yep, especially as it wasn't really competing with anyone else. These running costs for these places seem to be becoming too expensive in their own right. Lots of the other seaside parks have raised the issue over the past few years.
 
As a former park ops manager under Richard David Cadell I can honestly say I was there during its prime years with the brothers constantly investing in new rides with the UKs largest Laser Quest (yep it did have quite a following not every enthusiasts dream but a real money spinner) KMG booster a KMG Factory which was one of only a few miamis built with tilting seats and water fountains to really soak the guests on a hot summers day along with Space Invader from Blackpool a PWS jump and smile "disco fever" which had a level of automation far above other rides of this type to name a few. Everyone that worked there felt like extended family and some of the old crew still keep in touch. Sadly the park didn't fair as well after David emigrated and Richard decided to sell up rather than run the park by himself. The closure of Pontins really did hurt footfall and the park then began to struggle. With little money to invest the l8ne up went stale and visitor numbers dropped. The final nail was the decision to sell rides and then lease them back, it releases equity and gives a much needed injection of cash short term but now you're paying for what you once owned and that just isn't sustainable.
I hope something can be salvaged but I fear as a lot of rides were already owned by showmen and others not in a great state (wipeout is a shadow of its former self and has been up for sale for some time gaining no interest that the amount of investment needed to bring in enough guests to make profitable, it's just not something many will be willing to take on.
It's something that Mellors may have looked at had they not just bought lightwater valley
 
Steve Minor said:
It's something that Mellors may have looked at had they not just bought lightwater valley
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I do think Mellors could have been interested, but I really doubt they're remotely interested now.
There's no particularly company that jumps in mind to save the place, although obviously it is theoretically possible. I fear that this park might well be going, and probably left abandoned.
 
Smudgy said:
The best bet is probably either a local company or, at a slight push, potentially Crealy. They acquired Camel Creek at one stage.
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Unfortunately even the previous owner and person who basically made the park what it was Richard Cadell doesn't think it could be saved now with such low attendance. I fear it will become more caravan pitches
 
Steve Minor said:
Unfortunately even the previous owner and person who basically made the park what it was Richard Cadell doesn't think it could be saved now with such low attendance. I fear it will become more caravan pitches
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Camel Creek was in administration last time I checked, that could be the next one to go. It wasn't in great shape when we visited the other year. The Southwest has been hit hard with declining tourism though some of it is self inflicted
 
Quantum said:
Camel Creek was in administration last time I checked, that could be the next one to go. It wasn't in great shape when we visited the other year. The Southwest has been hit hard with declining tourism though some of it is self inflicted
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Oh, thats sad actually. I thought Camel Creek looked quite nice and looked after from what I’ve seen, though I must admit I haven’t visited.
 
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