HOPE Nature Centre has re-opened its gates to visitors after nearly four months of closure due to the lockdown.
“It has been an amazing first few weeks, and we are massively grateful to everyone who has come along and supported us since our re-opening” said David Gillingham, commercial manager at Hope Nature Centre. The animal park re-opened on April 12th when restrictions were eased and sold out, welcoming thousands of visitors through the gates in the first few weeks to see all the changes and experience the new facilities and animal attractions.
The charity reports “ We took the opportunity during lockdown to refurbish different areas of the centre, including a brand-new outdoor seating terrace and tractor play area in the café for visitors that do not want to visit the park animals. There is a new catering outlet called The Snackbox serving hot and cold drinks and snacks on the new terrace, with dogs welcome on leads. The café was also refurbished during lockdown with an extension, to provide more space to safely meet the needs of customers. This reopened on May 17th.
“Inside the animal park, visitors can say hello to our new animals, including two wallabies, named Bubble and Squeak. There has also been significant work on animal enclosures and shelters including a stunning new aviary and new interactive signage to provide information on our animals to our visitors. The most exciting of our new experiences is the major expansion to our adventure play area, including a castle, which has had a resounding thumbs up by all our younger visitors.
“The café and animal park are ensuring the adherence of Covid-19 rules, with the animal park operating at a limited capacity to ensure social distancing and the extended café and terrace providing appropriate spacing between tables.
“If you are planning a visit, it is highly advisable to pre-book your tickets online at hopenaturecentre. org.uk, as during busy periods tickets sell out in advance.”
