Bristol's West Country Water Park is set to re-open this spring under new ownership. The park, which is situated just off the M4 in Bradley Stoke, has been taken over by Shaun and Jenny Holmes after the previous owner retired.
Shaun previously started Waiike, a water sports equipment rental service in North Somerset, and he told Bristol Live that he is looking forward to getting the water park up and running under new management. "The demand's here, so I'm excited because I can't wait for people to start enjoying the facilities," he said. "I think it will be profitable but that's not really the goal, the goal is - can we get smiles?"
The park is set to offer a host of new opportunities, including a "game-ified" water park where people can compete in activities with their friends, as well as water sport equipment rental and outdoor swimming. It will be focused on offering new opportunities to diverse communities too, and Shaun says they will collaborate with different charities, including offering outdoor swimming lessons for Muslim women and purpose built equipment for disabled people.
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"There aren't many facilities that cater for that and their specific needs, and that's also created jobs for people that are capable of taking them for lessons and introducing them to outdoors swimming, so I'm really excited about that side of it," he said. They currently have a team of five people, and will employ 30 more for the summer.
Alongside the involvement of new communities, they will continue to offer triathlon training facilities, as well as windsurfing, paddle boarding and remote control boating, as well classes for children and adults, among other things. And Shaun said: "I'm 100 per cent focused on making sure this is owned by communities, and the different communities have space and time to make the most of this wonderful facility."
