Forums Forums Local News Wirral Shows: non-stop action and family fun

Matt, the fees are not extortionate, and a wrist band system would never be feesable, thats what brought down pleasureland, frontierland and close to the bone blackpool pleasure beach too.
when you look at how much money showmen pay for their machines and then add on running cost, insurance, and staff their isnt that much of a profit. Indeed with a travelling fair such as new brightons how could you possibly spread the costs evenly when you take into account some showmen pay over a hundered grand for their rides and some will of course pay a great dea less.
http://www.worldsfair.co.uk/wf/

http://www.showmensguild.com/

Was there tonight, £5.00 to go on a ride once, or £18 to get in at Alton Towers, with unlimited riding on some of the best rides in the world, alongside a whole host of other quality multi-million pound rides and attractions (Sea Life Centre for example)...

Yeah, that's great value for money.

BPB does not run a fairground, so I don't quite understand your point with them - they own/lease and manage all their own installations and many are permenant/custom installations. They are killing themselves by not investing in the right type of rides (Other than PMBO, Grand National, what else do they have that is good? and please don't say Infusion, its just another standard Vekoma SLC ie a shit and failed attempt at a B&M inverter), they take the pi$$ by refusing to renew the safety licenses on rides like Space Invader and Rollercoaster, and then leave them SBNO and expect "dancing fountains" to attract the visitors. On top of which, their pricing is simply too high, for both a single wristband and an annual pass. When all this is added tot he fact that Blackpool is struggling town-wide due to declining visitor numbers and shit weather, it is little wonder Blackpool are struggling. They are also adding to their woe's by their ever stricter security (checking peoples handbags etc to make sure they are not taking their own food onto the park, does not generate good publicity). Even within the 235 club the general consensus is that Amanda and her cronies are not doing a very good job with the park.

When Blackpool do eventually go, it will be through their own doing im afraid, and not as a result of their wristband system (though one can attribute the high price of their wristbands [compared to other, higher quality parks] to being a major reason for their demise).

Sorry to disappoint you.

There is a webcam there today from Wirralcam.

I have put this link in the Wirral show picture thread :
Thread in Wirral Show Picture page

All this about the fairs above.
I dont think fairs are a good idea at the wirral show. Looks like theres enough to see and do without them there and they spoil it coz all the kids 'see' is the fair.

Matt,
firstly, I am sorry that you are dissapointed with the struggling problemns that have arrisen at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I am a long time close friend of the Thompson Family being introduced to Lenard Thompson in the 1970s then his son Geoffery and then Amanda, Nick, and Febi. Altern Towers and many of the other "Theme Parks" are subsidized by oil money. Rides are increasingly more expensive to insure more so rides that are developed by the company.Blackpool Pleasure Beach has and always will be a"fairground" it is part of the parks historic History.
some little facts, take a tobbogan set (usually 3 cars) THe pleasure beach track set is jig I think 208 possibly a 108, which is the american standard for the track width. Back in 1986
I tobboggan set cost £120,000 (tobbogan set meaning stock philadelthia tobboggan train) in old money a set of rollercoaster cars. Twice per year the wheel sets, main wheel, side friction, underfriction units have to be taken off and sent off for ex ray. To start one rollercoaster ride takes six hundred amps in total.(in star). The timber for all coasters is brought over from Canada (pitch pine).
Amanda has always been more shows orientated and Nick didnt really show that much interest, although he does seem a bit better now than in his younger days!Amanda always being the bossy one.
I feel sorry for the family to be honest after all it is a "family run business", unlike the multi quangoes that run some of the other themed parks. look at how many parks have gone in the United States hundreds of them.Would be lovely to throw up a new ride every year, but then theiris research and development fees testing and design, the cost of steel (very high at the moment due to a shortage)then working out the value of how much risk the insurance companies place on the machine and its design.
the thats before, we look at staffing costs, power consumption.

Firstly, I will take you "claims" regarding being "close friends" with the Thompsons with a pinch of salt - I could say I am a cousin to Russell Barnes, but how could you disprove it? This is the internet, a lot of people make ludacris claims, and have a wealth of freely available info to back them up with (all the info you have just posted is readily available n the 235 club forums from people who actually do live in Blackpool and actually do know/work for the Thompsons), but a computer screen to hide behind when it actually comes to proving claims.

Btw, they don't need to throw up rides every year, Alton Towers "certainly" don't follow this practice... Just look at their last noteable installation, it was "Rita" back in 2005 (which is a cheap-ass, half-hearted 4 month project to quickly replace the "Black Hole", as a sidekick to the main Thorpe Park "Stealth" installation), the last major install (ie. the last secret weapon) was way back in 2002 with Air.

As to why everyone seems to think they install brand new rides every year, is anyone's guess - it must just be un-informed opinions. Their next major ride incidentally, is SW6, the Corkscrew replacement, currently under construction for launch next year. Compare this to the last major installation that PBB commissioned, which was PMBO back in 1994 (Infusion can't be considered a major install - it was a cheap ass transfer and re-paint).

The truth is, PBB has suffered from years of under-investment, especially with regards rides. I used to see PBB as the capital of rollercoasters, but if the current rate of ride-closure's continues, there will be little left in 5 years. The park has nothing else to offer beyond rides. The show's are cancelled for this year whilst the arena is being refurbished, they spent a bit of money on a new cafe/bar area and bought in some dancing fountains at the cost of £200,000+, but removed Rollercoaster and Space Invader, the former of which being one of the most respected and oldest "woodies" in Europe. Then you look at how they cut all the effects on Valhalla back, year on year, more and more effects are being cut back, yet it is/was a real jewel in thier crown, something that could set PBB apart from all other parks, but now its just lost everything it ever had.

They may portray it as a family business, but they treat customers like dirt in honesty. Their male staff in particular seem to have more interest in chatting up girls and arsing about causing safety risks than running the rides (if you had seen the antics taking place by the staff on the PMBO the last time I was there, you would have been totally shocked - they werre literally fighting and chasing each other around the entire station platforms, jumping over the turnstiles etc), they do not let anyone take their own food onto the park anymore, and if you do, you have it taken off you and are not able to get it back (anyone who see's the pricing on their food establishments would understand why this will dissuade families), they have this year bought in a wristband-only system, which means that parents can no longer take their kids along for free and pay for the kids to have wristbands/tokens like they used to, the list of falws in their business model is endless.

The sooner the Thompsons either sell-up to a company that can invest some money where it is desperately needed, or just go bankrupt and allow someone to purchase the assets, the better, they have not a clue about the target market, what visitors want, or how to run a modern-day theme park.

Ive complied a list of major investment/development for the parks, and included significant attraction removals etc. I think you can see the difference between the path that Alton are taking and Blackpool are taking from the amount of investment/development they have been doing over the past 20 years. Whereas in the last 10 years especially, PBB are cutting everything right back, Alton seem to be expanding and increasing investment. Where they are forced to remove a ride, they don't just choose to replace it with crap like "dancing fountains" and expect their customers not to notice, instead they attempt to replace it asap with something even better than before!! I have listed the plus-points in bold, and the minus-points in italic. You will notice that Alton dont have tens of millions to invest every year like people make out, but they invest the right money in the right type of attractions, and spread out the investment across all target markets, not just isolated to thrill seekers as some people seem to think (that is what they have Thrope Park for).

Alton Towers
1991 - 1994: SW1 through to SW3 Nemesis installed (worlds first pipeline roller coaster which ultimately changed to Europes first/worlds second inverted roller coaster built by B&M)
1996: Thunder Looper removed due to short-term planning permission ceasing.
1997: Ripsaw installed to replace Thunder Looper - only including this cos I included Ice Blast for PBB.
1998: SW4 Oblivion installed (B&M worlds first "Dive Machine" vertical drop roller coaster)
2002: Hex The Ride family ride/attraction opened.
2002: SW5 Air installed (B&M worlds first "flying coaster")
2004: Spinball Whizzer installed (custom-designed Maurer Sohne spnning coaster)
2005: Black Hole closed due to new government safety law's
2005: Rita: Queen Of Speed installed quickly to replace Black Hole
2006: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory major family attraction/ride installed/opened
2008: Mutiny Bay major family attraction opened.
2008: Corkscrew closed after 28 years due to Alton wanting to replace it with another "worlds first" roller coaster
2009: Sea Life Centre: Sharkbait Reef acquarium major family attraction opened.
2009: Complete Skyride refurbishment including brand new gondola's.
2009: 10 year development plan announced, featuring several new attractions and rides, including at least 3 major roller coasters, further hotels and low-budget accomodation, more investment into entertainment and heritage and winter opening!
2010: SW6 installed - Unknown at present, but will be an Intamin "worlds first" roller coaster installation.

Pleasure Beach
1994: Pepsi Max Big One installed - worlds tallest and steepest roller coaster. Europes fastest coaster.
1997: PlayStation/Ice Blast installed - cheap S&S Power installation.
2000: Valhalla installed - its an indoor log flume, but absolutely awsome experience, takes your breath away - well it used to until they cut all the effects back!
2006: Spin Doctor removed.
2006: World-famour PBB log-flume removed to make way for Infusion.
2007: Infusion/Traumatizer moved from Southport to Blackpool - a toally standard Vekoma SLC essentially a poor-mans B&M inverter, with a crap ride-experience and even worse throughput to reflect this! Some fountains added in an attempt to make it unique...
2008: Rollercoaster closed and is now SBNO.
2008: Space Invaders 2 closed and is now SBNO.
2009: Dancing fountains installed to replace lost rides - what a load of shit
2009: All shows cancelled. Later its announced the dome is being refurbished, but as to whether thats true, is anyones guess.
2010: Space Invaders 2 building will become a PBB museum, and will attract an additional fee for entrance!!

Quite how Blackpool have not twigged that Alton's way is the way that works yet, I am not sure. Cutting costs in every area is not working for PBB, Alton are increasing investment, yet still continue to charge significantly less for entrance that PBB. PBB don't even have much in the way of planning restrictions, whereas Alton have every single aspect of new developments scrutinized by the local authorities, with SW6, they had to ammend the proposals at least 3 times before they could get permission to develop, leading to a 6 month delay.

Alton Towers are consistently seeing increasing visitor numbers each and every year (and is the UK's most popular attraction despite terrible road links and the problems they have had with their proposed building of a link-road from the M6 - PBB on the other hand has perfect transport links) whereas PBB have for the past 5 years, seen visitor numbers falling. One is doing it right, the other is doing it wrong. It does not take a genius to work out who is doing it wrong and where they are going wrong.

Alton Towers is the better attraction dude granted.. but the Wirral show is selling tickts at such a high "Cost" as its for charity, not personal gain... How much would the operators gain from running the ride usually?

Should have also added that the Gerstlauer Eurofighter, which was eventually installed in Thorpe Park and launched as "Saw: The Ride" this year was originally ordered and planned as a much smaller ride to b placed in the Black Hole tent back in 2006, but when Merlin Entertainments bought Tussards, they decided that the ride would be bigger and better and placed it at Thorpe due to Alton's very harsh height and noise restrictions. So that was a bit of a bummer, because the Black Hole tent to this day, remains empty (the rumor is though the X-Sector will be the next area to be re-developed once they have completed the current re-development of "the area with no name in 2009" ie. Ug-land lol).

So by the launch of SW6 they have had a period of 5 years without a new thrill ride or 8 years without a major new thrill ride, but have invested money into making the park more attractive to families and tidying everything up instead.

As far as im aware mate, the commercial establishments are not contributing their profits to charity. Do you mean profit from the pitch fee's?

I still think £5 per ride is a rip-off - they can throw through 5,000+ riders a day at a conservative estimate (60,000+ people attending, a lot of people will re-ride rides a couple of times or more if they like them), thats a lot of profit they will make. I don't buy into this "hard done to" act being protrayed - besides which a lot of these amusements companies nowadays are national companies or even subsiduries of multi-national companies.

It suits them to be portrayed as one-man-bands to the public, because people always feel they should support them then. There are some massive amusements companies, just look at the Bembom brothers for instance, again, sounds like its a two-man or family run operation, when in reality they were in the past, major leasers of rides to some big UK theme parks.

Has this thread wandered off topic a touch?????

I think the wirral show rides are a bit dear

I remember when they was a £1

are there no red arrowes this year?

i always look out for the red arrows from my window when they usually come to the wirral show.

They were grounded yesterday so no air display because of the bad weather in the south west of England. They fly up from Cornwall apparently.

I don't think I have ever seen the red arrows at the Wirral show. They are on practically every year at Hoylake lifeboat day though.