August 2009

Gollum the Turkey Vulture

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Meet our new ‘Turkey Vulture’, nicknamed 'Gollum' by his keeper, whom we have rescued from a sad, ill treated life.

Falconer, Richard James commented “Because ‘Gollum’ has been housed in such a small enclosure, his wing muscles have never developed so basically he has no strength in his wings to fly. We are confident that with plenty of TLC and an intensive rehabilitation programme we can rebuild his flight muscles. We will do everything we can to give Gollum the chance to soar off into the skies for the first time.
Despite the fact that Gollum has had a very hard life and he thinks that hopping back and forth is normal for a Turkey Vulture, he is in good spirits, and is already going for walks and enjoying the extra attention! .... He has started stealing food, so we know he is feeling better in himself”

Turkey Vulture Facts

The Turkey Vulture is easily recognized in flight by its broad "V" shaped gliding and infrequent flapping and has a wingspan of about 6 feet.
Approximately 25 inches long from head to tip of tail, the Turkey Vulture is a very dark grey bird with a naked red head. Unlike most birds, Turkey Vultures have an excellent sense of smell, which allows them to locate carrion easily, even when covered by fallen leaves. - The Turkey Vulture is usually the first bird to locate a new kill.
Despite a belief that vultures are "dirty", vultures spend several hours each day preening and cleaning their plumage and bathe frequently. They can live up to 40 years.

July 2009

Discover the 8th Wonder of the World

Brothers Mike, Chris and Phil Bendall purchased Wonderland Pleasure Park in September 2007 with a view to creating a completely new all day family experience.
The Bendall family, who own Woodlands Family Theme Park in Blackawton, Devon and Twinlakes Family Theme Park in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire have already invested £2 million in the family attraction which has been renamed Wheelgate Park.

The new building, ‘Pharaohs Funderdrome’ is a £1.5 million pound Egyptian themed indoor play facility that is uniquely designed to enhance the family experience by offering an expanse of play equipment for all ages.

Mike Bendall said, “It is essential to offer families an all-weather experience, the new building will offer national standard play equipment ensuring the whole family experience a truly matchless and thrilling environment. Our play equipment is unique as it enables the whole family to play together, parents can join in and interact as children use their own skills and abilities, enabling adults and children to enjoy the experience together, after all we all want to have a go, its not so much fun when your standing on the outside watching!”

• £1.5m development
• The largest of its kind in the UK
• 4 Floors of exhilarating and unprecedented adventures
• Over 16,000 sq.ft of action packed fun
• Propelling 6-lane 6-wave astra slides
• Weightless dropslides
• Terrifying triple drop and twisted tube slides
• Vertical tower climbs
• Multi swings
• Secret mazes
• Gigantic ball pools
• Roller waves
• Towering rope bridges
• Specially designed interactive Toddlers zone.

Pharaohs Funderdrome was opened by Bob the Builder on the 18th July

July 2009

Fifi and Bumble get in a Spin!

Fifi and Bumble were joined by hundreds of fans as they rode the Carousel here at Wheelgate Park on Sunday17th May.

The children’s TV characters from Five’s Milkshake and Nick JR spent the day at the park and amused families with various appearances and personal photo opportunities.

Park Manager, Sandy Gyorvari commented “Fifi and Bumble were great, the children really enjoyed themselves, especially when the characters had a go on the Carousel! Fifi and Bumble were in the park for the entire day so there were numerous occasions to meet them and have your photo taken. All in all the day was a huge success!”

The TV Character days are exciting additions to the Wheelgate Park and at no additional cost, they are designed to compliment the attractions and facilities already on offer including the holiday and half term activities. Offering even better value!