A new operator for the Lake District’s Brockhole Visitor Centre has been revealed.
Bewilderwood has announced it will be taking on the venue from next month.
Brockhole, the 30 acre site near Ambleside, was run as a not for profit attraction by the Lake District National Park Authority until being offered to private operators last year after facing ‘a significant loss’ according to chief executive Gavin Capstick.
Nine members of staff were made redundant.
The Windermere-side site was bought by the LDNPA in 1966 and it opened in 1969 as the UK’s first national park visitor centre.
In March last year a long-term lease was offered and a selection process to find a new operator began.
Now, Bewilderwood, which operates adventure parks in Cheshire and Norfolk, said it will take on the site’s stewardship.
Its parks are based on a series of children’s books by author and creator Tom Blofeld and said its whole essence was “magical, whimsical and wholesome”.
It pledged that the Lake District site would remain the same – with public access maintained – and it will introduce elements over time designed to improve the site.
It added: “Bewilderwood will not be building a large-scale park in the Lake District, instead adding new play elements to Brockhole.
“These include a new indoor play and sensory adventure, ideal for rainy days and an outdoor adventure playground made of sustainable timber.
“They will also be supporting families to engage with the natural history on the site with new history and nature trails that make use of Bewilderwood’s colourful cast of characters to get families excited about the outdoors.”
A spokesman for Bewilderwood said: “Bewilderwood is thrilled to be taking on the Brockhole on Windermere site, it could not be a more perfect venue.
“There is a lot of doom and gloom in the news about our sector these days, so it is wonderful to see that the independent, imagination driven play that we provide is breaking through and growing in popularity.
“We are also extremely excited to be making our first foray into indoor play, taking the same spirit of adventure and exploration found in our parks and translating it into the iconic White House at Brockhole.”
Gavin Capstick, chief executive of the Lake District National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bewilderwood as the new operator for Brockhole on Windermere, as they take on the lease of this much-loved site from the Lake District National Park Authority.
“Bewilderwood’s imaginative, family-focused approach to adventure in nature aligns with our ambition to ensure Brockhole remains a destination for families to easily access their national park.
“We are confident that they will sensitively care for Brockhole and respect for the site’s unique heritage and setting, including continued public access.
“We look forward to working together to enhance the visitor experience while protecting the special qualities that make Brockhole such an important place for our communities and visitors alike.”
Plans will be introduced carefully and in stages, with ongoing community consideration, Bewilderwood said.
It said when it took over stewardship of Brockhole next month, day-to-day running would remain familiar and accessible and it would focus on maintaining what already worked well and it would support key events.
A new indoor play centre is planned to open later this year and it is hoped catering at the White House will reopen. It said it would look to open its outdoor play elements next year and they would be designed to blend with the woodland and landscape.
