MISLEADING MEDIA MESSES UP MESSAGES
The week of the appeal whipped up a real media frenzy. In this instance some of the
reporting was both misleading and unbalanced and so we must publicly put the record
straight!
BBC SE Inside Out programme broadcast on the 25 th September misled viewers into
believing that the £10m grant money secured for Dreamland, including Sea Change
and Heritage Lottery Funding, was to be used to purchase the Dreamland site - this, of
course, is not the case.
All secured grants are ringfenced for restoring the Grade II* listed Scenic Railway,
Grade II listed menagerie cages, front entrance to the park and bringing back into use
the internal cafe, event and retail spaces under the cinema building, ride restoration,
design, branding, content, landscaping, learning and training.
Site purchase costs are a separate matter and currently being negotiated between
Thanet District Council and MTCRC.
I'm so glad we' ve cleared that up- moving on! ....
BLACKPOOL MEETINGS
In September The Dreamland Trust had a series of meetings in Blackpool. This was an
opportunity to introduce Dreamland designers, Hemingway Design, to the Thompson
family who own and operate Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the park' s Head Engineer,
Steve Hughes and David Cam, Company Secretary and Director.
We also met with the Head of Blackpool Illuminations, Richard Ryan, who took us on
a tour of the illuminations depot at Lightworks.
And last week we played host, in Margate, to the Hastings Pier Trust. We look
forward to seeing the pier being restored over the next 18 months or so.
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