There’s a new £37 million theme park with water slides, dinosaurs and rides more opening this weekend, and it looks absolutely amazing.
Gulliver’s Valley theme park is South Yorkshire’s newest attraction and it’s sure to be at the top of the list for family trips when it finally opens its gates to the public on Saturday 11 July.
Set in 250 acres of countryside a stones throw from the popular Rother Valley Country Park, just over the border from Sheffield, the park is boasts 50 fun-filled attractions and is perfect for a post-lockdown day out, or a memorable family holiday for those staying a little bit longer.
The best part? It’s only about an hours drive away from Manchester as well.
There’s a total of 26 rides across the park that are suitable for a mixture of ages from two years upward, as well as indoor and outdoor play areas designed to let the youngsters burn off some steam while parents can relax in one of the many seating areas, or at two of the on-site restaurants.
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For those preferring to eat on the go, there are refreshment kiosks dotted around the park too.
Gulliver’s Valley / Chris Etchells
Speaking ahead of reopening, Julie Dalton, Managing Director at Gulliver’s Valley, said: “From bigger rides through to smaller rides, we are caring for that family market. Everything has been thought out so the whole family can enjoy their visit.”
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“The prime reason for choosing South Yorkshire was because of the people. What we saw when we came here is it is a really friendly group of people.”
“We think they are going to be able to give world class service.”
Sustainability is also at the heart of the resort and impressively, all the building materials for the park have been put to use which has reduced the amount of waste produced to virtually nothing.
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As per government guidelines, a number of COVID-secure measures and precautions have been put in place to ensure maximum staff and visitor safety. These include two hand sanitiser stations installed in each area, with sinks also available for children who have sensitive skin, strict cleaning programmes, and social distancing measures.
New rides and attractions are planned to be added every year to continue improving what is set to be South Yorkshire’s best family tourist attraction.
For more information ahead of reopening, visit the Gulliver’s Valley website here.
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Manchester has been named one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK
Emily Sergeant
A new study has crowned Manchester as one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK.
With reviews playing a huge part in the success of small businesses – especially in the hospitality and tourism sector – business insurance expert MoneySuperMarket has analysed more than 100,000 reviews of customer-facing businesses in over 100 cities worldwide to discover where the UK’s ‘friendliest’ places are.
Their new research reveals which cities nationwide attract the highest number of reviews that particularly highlight friendly staff and excellent customer service in their venues and attractions.
For each city, the reviews were analysed for mentions of friendly staff and excellent service.
Cities were then ranked by the percentage of reviews containing these markers – with the highest percentage earning the top spot for friendly customer service.
Manchester came in at a very respectable ninth place in the whole of the UK, with just over 50% of reviews mentioning friendly staff and service.
Other northern cities in the top 10 include Leeds at number six and Liverpool at number two, while looking at the global rankings, the UK dominates for friendliness – with four cities making the top 10, more than any other country in the world.
According to MoneySupermarket, the even spread of cities across the UK suggests that excelling in customer service is a national trait, rather than a local one.
European cities make up seven of the top 10 spots, suggesting that hospitality and friendly service are deeply embedded in the continent’s culture.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bolton man sets Guinness World Record for most fish fingers eaten in a minute
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has set a very unique world record.
Nathan Davies, from Westhoughton in Bolton, is on a roll – first he won £98,000 on ITV‘s hit gameshow The 1% Club, and now he’s a world record holder.
After telling the show’s host, Lee Mack, that he wanted to break a world record, the 32-year-old has followed through on the promise he made on national television by claiming the title for the most fish fingers eaten in one minute.
The dad-of-two managed to scoff down 15 fish fingers in 60 seconds.
A man from Bolton man has set the Guinness World Record for the most fish fingers eaten in a minute / Credit: Guinness World Record
Nathan chose fish fingers as they’re a staple in his household thanks to his two young boys, and after first testing how quickly he could eat four of them, he decided to go for the official Guinness World Record attempt.
“I decided fish fingers was achievable given that I’ve got a few less formal eating records, so it’s up my street,” Nathan explained of his world record attempt.
Despite his impressive effort though, Nathan admits he was still a little gutted about how many he managed to chow down in the allotted time, adding: “I think I could have done more if I had let them cool down longer, but just happy to have the record.”
Nathan says it’s a ‘bit strange’ to have an official Guinness World Record for eating fish fingers, of all things, but he is ‘very proud’ of it all the same.
Emily Sergeant -
7th July 2020 
