How the National Lottery Helps Rebuild an Iconic Amusement Park
Since the height of its popularity, theme parks have been one of the biggest draws in a city’s tourism industry. As a matter of fact, a lot of influential people and companies invest in this venture as a way to restore and improve every facet of it. A significant part of this endeavor even stems from the backing of various lottery groups.
In the United Kingdom, for example, the Heritage Lottery Fund is considered as a major player in the regeneration of the iconic Dreamland Margate. In a nutshell, HLF is the UK’s biggest funder and is the leading advocate for cultural value. Back then; it understood the importance of a national heritage landmark such as Dreamland Margate, that’s why the group allotted £5.8 million for the refurbishment of it. But early last year, documents surfaced about the whole process of the amusement park staff’s appointment and its surprising debts that totaled to close to £3 million.
The account highlighted various concerns about the way Dreamland’s operator, Sands Heritage Limited, acquired the management contract even when they raised a lot of red flags and were shut out at key phases of the project. Eventually, the Margate, Kent-based company revealed how it owed the aforementioned £2.9 million just less than six months after opening. That summer was also marred by the impact of Operation Stack’s transportation complications. From there, Heritage Lottery Fund found an opportunity to back the project.
Before anything else, it’s vital to understand where lottery companies get much-needed funds for different endeavors. Similar to people’s fascination with theme parks, purchasing scratch cards and/or lottery tickets has been a part of the daily lives of most UK citizens. Lottoland even has an article that talks about the key demographics in the region. In the article entitled ‘The People Behind the Game,’ a little less than one-fourth of British nationals buy scratch cards at least once a month, with 55-64 year olds covering 31% of that figure. Lottery players, on the other hand, comprise a whopping 45 million people. In a way, these numbers contribute to and reflect the overall influence of the lottery.
Today, following the controversies and issues that surround the previous year, Heritage Lottery Fund maintains a positive outlook in the coming months. The group remains committed to Dreamland and the people of Margate by coming up with a sound business plan that will continuously improve the theme park’s service.
