Thorpe Park - NewsDesk

NEWSDESK

Latest News From the Great Thorpe Park


First Theme Park Sukkot At Thorpe Park



The Great Thorpe Park is building two Sukkot for families wishing to attend the theme park during the festive period.

It is the first time that the theme park, which is Britain's leading family leisure park, has provided special facilities for the Jewish community, although a number of private functions have been held at the park in prevoius years.

"The last private function was a couple of years ago, when we adapted an existing building to accomodate around 3,000 guests celebrating Sukkot." said Head of Marketing Alan Randall.

"This year is quite different. We are building two Sukkot from scratch and are opening the areas to members of the public visiting the park. There will also be limited Kosher catering on site, with sandwiches provided by D&D Sandwiches.

"We have had a lot of guidance and advice from the local community and would like to thank everyone for their assistance." he added.

The Sukkot will be constructed over the next week and will open between October 19 th and 22 nd.

-ends-


The Thorpe Park Harley Pass
Order Now and Give Them a Cracking Christmas Gift



Thorpe Park has come up with a brilliant new idea just in time for Christmas. Valid for one calendar year, The Harley Pass gives unlimited access to the park during the season making it a perfect Christmas gift - and no batteries required!

Designed to give regular guests more funtastic days out for their money, the brand new Harley Pass means fun-fans can squeeze in as many trips to the Park as possible - all for tile one-off price of The Harley Pass. And at only £45 for adults and £35 for children under fourteen it really is great value for money.


Even more Fun-tastical Day's Out
Guests can afford to pop in to give the kids a quick treat - or spend whole days exploring everything the Park has to offer. A day meeting the animals on the Thorpe Farm and following the nature trail will be over before you know it. So take another day to make sand castles on the man- made beach, or scare yourself silly on X : / No Way Out the roller coaster ride with a terrifying backwards plunge into darkness. Then there's the wet and wonderful Loggers Leap, and the excitement of Depth Charge, Canada Creek and Thunder River. Or catch your breath, grab a bite to eat, and simply enjoy the tranquil lakes and grounds. With new rides and attractions being introduced all the time, check out Wet! Wet! Wet! Torpedo Tubes and DinoBoats which opened for the little ones this Autumn.

Order Now in Time for Christmas
With easy access from London and the South East (Junction 11 or I 3 off the M25 and onto the A320 to Thorpe Park), The Great Thorpe Park is the perfect place for a family day out. To buy the Harley Pass telephone 0990 880880 and ask for an application form. You can pay for your pass with cash, cheque or credit card and as long as you order before December 10th, Thorpe Park guarantee you'll get your passes in time for Christmas.

-ends-


December Magic at The Great Thorpe Park

Searching for a venue with a difference for this year's Christmas Party? Why not consider The Great Thorpe Park. With it's unique facilities and easy accessibility, The Thorpe Park Corporate Services Department can organise everything to ensure the event runs smoothly - form booking entertainment, arranging all your catering needs, to theming your chosen venue.

The Dome Pavillion is the ideal winter venue for those event planners who are thinking big. The perfect location for major exhibitions, seminars, meetings and product launches - with a 600 capacity and full stage facilities for entertainment, the Dome makes an impressive dinner/dance venue. Transform this venue into the special themed evening you're looking for, form Mediaeval banquets, Carribean nights to the more traditional Victorian Christmas parties.

For that more versatile venue why not try a fun party afloat the Thorpe Belle, a traditional Mississippi paddle steamer. Moored to the banks of Abbey Lake, the Thorpe Belle is a unique to hold that office or company Christmas party with a difference. There's a DJ-friendly sound system on board, an open lower deck plus an enclosed upper deck with room for 50-100 people to party in style.

Crown Society, winners of the Best UK Food & Beverage Awared last year, are Thorpe Park's chosen event caterers who will tailor make menus to suit your personal requirements.

The Park has hosted events for an array of corporate clients including, British Airways, BUPA, IBM, Philips, Mars Confectionary, Mitsubishi and many more. For further information or to book that Christmas Party with a difference call the corporate Services Department now on 01932 577109/129.

-ends-


A Warm Welcome at The Great Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park's four newest recruits are the first to complete the Park's brand new 'Welcome Host' course. The first theme park in the UK to introduce the course - which is designed to coach new staff in the art of customer care - Thorpe Park are making the course 'basic training' for all new cast members as part of their on-going commitment to improving standards of service and customer care for all their guests.

Developed in conjunction with the English Tourist Board and tailored to the specific requirementsof the park, the course is designed to prepare new cast members for their role in the Park, and provide valuable lessons in customer care. New recruits learn about the value of the tourism industry and the importance of customer care and are taught practical techniques to help them improve communication, listening and complaint handling skills, as well as ways in which to enhance personal effectiveness and image. Coupled with an orientation programme which introduces new recruits to the park, it's organisation and procedures, the training package is a valuable resource for new staff.

Says, Rob Phillips, Training Officer at Thorpe Park, "Our aim is to make each visit to the Park as enjoyable as possible for all our guests. This programme will improve our levels of customer care and therefore enhance the overall quality of service that we can give. Our new recruits will also benefit from having a thorough introduction to the Park and its customer care ethos, and by developing skills that will help them to interact with guests effectively and with confidence as soon as they join us."

Thorpe Park's 'Welcome Host' programme is also a primer for recruits wishing to gain further qualifications in the leisure industry, and has been designed to give participants a grounding in the skills and knowledge they will need for assessment to NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service.

-ends-


TV FIRST FOR THE GREAT THORPE PARK

Family Park sponsors new family show on LWT

The Great Thorpe Park has become the first UK leisure attraction to sponsor an ITV programme in a new deal with LWT.

The new show, "The Weekend with Andi and Emma" starts with an eight week run on July 11th and continues in the London region every Friday until August 29th.

The series will feature Andi Peters and Emma Forbes out and about on the banks of the Thames chatting with famous friends, taking an off beat look at local stories and checking out what's happening in the London entertainment scene.

'It's all about summer, sunshine, families, fun, feeling good and the weekend. In short it's all about everything the public associates with Thorpe Park," comments Thorpe Park Head of Marketing Alan Randall.

Sally Kingston, Sponsorship Manager, Laser said "We're delighted to welcome Thorpe Park on board. There is a very natural synergy between the programme and brand and I have every confidence the partnership will be a great success."

"The programme values, personality and profile have Thorpe Park stamped all over them and it was an easy decision for us to become associated with the show," adds Alan Randall.

-ends-

FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA
AT THE GREAT THORPE PARK


Two weekends of fun and fireworks through the half term holidays on:

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October 1997

Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd November 1997

Celebrate the school holidays at a fantastic fireworks display on the banks of the lake at the Great Thorpe Park. A spectacular way to end a fun day out, the breathtaking display begins at 7:00pm when a riot of flashing colour will light up the night sky.

Mingling with the smell of gunpowder will be the tasty aromas of hot baking potatoes, sticky toffee apples and roasting chestnuts - and there will be more substantial meals to whet bigger appetities! Mixing with the whiz bang of the fireworks will be shouts of those enjoying Thorpe Park's exciting rides, which will be staying open until 7:30pm on the fireworks nights (subject to light).

Visitors to the park are welcome at normal admission prices, which include entrance to the evening fireworks extravaganza. For those who wish only to attend in the evening, there's a flat admission charge of £6.00 each or 4 people for £20.00 after 3.00pm. There's easy access from junctions 11 or 13 off the M25 to the Park and parking is free, so for a day out that both young and old will remember, come down to the Firework Extravaganza at the Great Thorpe Park.

-ends-

A FUN-FILLED SUMMER FOR FAMILIES
AT THORPE PARK


The Great Thorpe Park - voted Britain's Most Parent Friendly Park in the Tommy's Campaign/Huggies Nappies in 1996 and 1997 Awards - is introducing special opening hours, thrilling new rides and spectacular events this summer to make family days out truly special.

Thorpe Park's summer pricing schedule is as follows, Chief Rangers - guests 14 years of age and over £15.95, Cool Cats - guests 14 under 14 years of age £12.95 and finally Little Ones - Children under 1 mere are FREE.

Splash Kids and Beach Babes...

During August the Park will stay open later so you can enjoy yourselves for longer! Opening at 9:30am, the gates won't close until 7:30pm - plenty of time to thrill and spill your way around the Park's unbeatable selection of family rides. Make sure you stop off on the way to have a splash at Bumpter Boats, a brand new water-dodgem style ride. If the pace gets too hectic, relax at Fantasy Reef, the Park's huge man-made beach. Relax in the sun while the kids make sandcastles and paddle ni the shallow fun pools. If you get peckish there are a variety of cafes and restaurants to choose from, or you can bring your own food to the covered picnic areas.

Cartoons come to life

A series of spectacular events are planned, including a summer visit from that spinach-loving sailor-man Popeye. The new Konica Splashtacular high dive show 'Popeye's Pirate Adventure' starts on Friday 11th July for the summer holidays. Earlier this year Popeye and Olive Oyl made a guest appearance to celebrate Thorpe Park's 18th Birthday with more than 40 of their cartoon friends at a record-breaking party. Many of those cartoon characters will be making surprise appearances at the Park during the summer holidays - so you could find yourself sharing a ride with Dennis the Menace, Bart Simpson or the Pink Panther on selected days.

Thorpe Park will remain open through the summer until 2nd November, when it celebrates the end of the season in spectacular style. A series of Fireworks Extravaganzas will be held over two weekends during the half term holidays (25 & 26 October and 1 & 2 November), when the Park will again be staying open until 7:30pm - right up until the fantastic fireworks displays begin.

For non-stop fun and entertainment this summer that's safe for all the family, The Great Thorpe Park is the place to be. (Access from Junctions 11 or 13 off the M25).

-ends-

ADMISSION POLICY REVIEW


Thorpe Park has reviewed its height based pricing policy and is introducing a revised pricing schedule for the pre-summer period. The policy will be monitored throughout this period and reviewed again for the summer and autumn. With immediate effect the main admission prices will be as follows:

LITTLE ONES Children under 1 metre FREE Previously 0.9metres
COOL CATS Guests under 14 years of age £12.95 Previously under 1.4metres
CHIEF RANGERS Guests over 14 years of age £15.95 Previously over 1.4metres

All existing Cool Cat offers (incorporating the under 1.4m policy) will be valid at Thorpe Park admissions.

-ends-


© Thorpe Park 1997
The Great Thorpe Park 24 hour Hotline for Guests Information is available on
01932 562633
Thorpe Park, Staines Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8PN
logo
Cat Communications

Last Updated: 18/10/97