Independent story-led family attraction, Wyvernwood, sees record start to 2024

As visitor numbers to Essex’s only truly immersive experience jump 60% in 12 months 

17th July 2024, UK: Wyvernwood, an immersive, story-led outdoor adventure park located in East Anglia, has announced a record start to the 2024 season, with visitor numbers jumping 60% since the end of March, compared to the same period last year. 

The park first opened its doors in July 2022 after being awarded an EU grant and raising its own funds with the help of their independent finance and mortgage advisory firm, Ashbridge Partners. Since then, the park has seen year-on-year growth. Now its team is gearing up for an action-packed daily programme over the summer holiday period, as industry reports suggest that the sector is continuing its bounce back after the pandemic. 

According to the most recent data from Visit Essex, the official tourism and destination management organisation for Greater Essex, the county saw 50.3 million day trips booked in 2022, a number close to pre-pandemic levels, and up from 37.1 million the year before. 

While nationally the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (AVLA), whose members include The Royal Albert Hall, The Natural History Museum and Tate Modern, reported the total number of visits to its sites in 2023 reached 146.6 million, a 19% increase on the 2022 (123.6 million), and only 11% down on 2019. 

Wyvernwood, the brainchild of husband-and-wife team, Will, a technology leader in a global engineering company, and Susie Marsden, who formerly worked as Group Company Secretary for a FTSE100 company in St. James’s London, occupies 27 acres of Alresford Hall Farm, near Colchester in Essex, a 200-acre estate with ancient woodland dating back to the 1700s. 

On the park’s record start Susie Marsden, Managing Director, said: “We couldn’t have imagined a better start to our 2024 season, particularly as this is only Wyvernwood’s second full season of trading. Our visitor numbers peaked at 60,000 last year, however, we’re already on course to surpass this record by 25%, despite some unpleasant wet and windy weather during May and June. Not only are we seeing numbers up as a whole, but we’re also seeing a significant increase in birthday party bookings and school outings, as well as a large percentage of return visits. 

“Our mission has always been to create a fun-filled and magical experience with elements of surprise and delight for all our guests; encouraging children to enjoy the great outdoors, escape from their screens and connect with nature. We want to do this in the best way we can while having a positive impact on our guests’ wellbeing. We believe that it is important to have fun and at the same time engage with nature in a beautiful setting which is good for mental health and reducing stress, for adults and children alike.” 

The £4.5m attraction features a series of story–based themed play zones with aesthetically pleasing wooden play structures and unique wood carvings, where visitors can meet the Wyvernwood characters such as fairies, goblins and a heroic captain, engage in quests, puzzles and riddles, explore a maize maze, sand play and toddler areas, jumping pillows and pedal karts as well as experience the Dragon Trail which crosses a wild flower meadow leading to the cool and inviting Wellbeing Woods. The park now employs four full-time members of staff and up to 50 seasonal staff, from actors to park rangers and experience co-ordinators, and a full support team during the open season. 

The idea of the attraction first came to mind in 2016 when the Marsden family wanted to explore new ways to diversify their farmland. Previous to the park’s opening two years ago, part of the site on which it now sits was formerly a wholesale plant nursery. The Marsden’s planted over 3,500 native trees and installed multiple bird, owl and bat boxes and have a strong eco thread running through the Wyvernwood experience. Wyvernwood employs locally-based staff, uses locally-sourced produce and avoids the use of plastic wherever possible. 

Susie added: “Wyvernwood is truly a labour of love. Our relentless focus is on creating the best possible guest experience and achieving operational excellence, having set ourselves high standards - and channelling some Disney magic! 

“Our staff work tirelessly to make sure everyone that comes to Wyvernwood has a truly memorable visit. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds and to welcome new and returning guests through the magical portal to the enchanted lost Kingdom of Wyvernwood.” 

During the closed season, the park’s management team introduced new activities such as Kingdom Games at the Enchanted Castle, a Warrior Workshop to learn sword skills, and the hugely popular Kingdom Pledge. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, two new stories have been produced – ‘Merlin the Wizard and the Spell to Reverse Curses’ and ‘Tatiana, the Queen of the Fairies, and the Magic Amulet’.  

Wyvernwood has a packed calendar of events starting with its Summer of Adventure, which commences on Saturday 20th July which features new quests and entertainment in the Wellbeing Woods. This Autumn, the park will hold its popular Halloween event to defeat the Wicked Witch of the East. At Christmas, there will be Wyvernwood’s Mid-Wynter Festival and a surprise encounter with Father Christmas. 

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For more information, please contact David Ferguson or Verity Blake at HeadOn PR – davidferguson@headonpr.co.uk/verityblake@headonpr.co.uk or call 0792 0792 183. 

For assets to support this press announcement please click here. Assets include: 

• A copy of this news announcement 
• Headshot for Susie Marsden, Managing Director at Wyvernwood 
• Images of Wyvernwood 
• Logo 

About Wyvernwood 

On the outskirts of Colchester, Wyvernwood offers a family day out and a magical experience like no other in Essex. Guests step through the magic portal and into The Enchanted Lost Kingdom where they will meet unique characters brought to life every day by Wyvernwood’s own talented actors. For more information about Wyvernwood, visit www.wyvernwood.co.uk 

About Ashbridge Partners 

Founded in 2012, Ashbridge Partners offers exceptional financing advice to entrepreneurs, private residential, real estate owners and family businesses, as well as landed estates. With a head office in Stow on the Wold and a base in London, the finance firm is dedicated to helping clients achieve their financial objectives and goals through independent, strategic and impartial advice in a range of areas including mortgages, commercial loans, refinance, funding applications or early-stage start-up funding. 

An ethos of collaboration at the heart of everything the team does, Ashbridge Partners provides a bespoke approach building on relationships with clients and industry partners including highly regarded lawyers, accountants and lenders in the banking industry.  

For more information visit - https://www.ashbridgepartners.co.uk/ 

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Editors notes

Founded in 2012, Ashbridge Partners offers exceptional financing advice to entrepreneurs, private residential, real estate owners and family businesses, as well as landed estates. With offices in the Cotswold, Stow-on-the-Wold, and London, Mayfair, the finance firm is dedicated to helping clients achieve their financial objectives and goals through independent, strategic and impartial advice in a range of areas including mortgages, commercial loans, refinance, funding applications or early-stage start-up funding.

An ethos of collaboration at the heart of everything the team does, Ashbridge Partners provides a bespoke approach building on relationships with clients and industry partners including highly regarded lawyers, accountants and lenders in the banking industry.