- Name of Business – Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts
- Who are you? – Julie Dalton the MD
- What sets you apart from the competition? – We are the only family of theme park resorts specifically catering for families.
- How did the business come about? We are a family business with our first park opening in Matlock Bath in 1978, with Gulliver’s World opening in 1989. We have since moved on to build two more resorts in Milton Keynes and Rother Valley.
- What are your main target markets? We cater for families on our parks with children 2 to 13. However our accommodation is open all year around and welcomes many guests stopping in the area. We also have a new Land of Lights attraction which caters for all ages.
- How long has your business been in existence? We first opened in 1978, with Warrington opening in 1989.
- How many staff do you employ? At peak season we employ over 1,400 team members across out resorts.
- What job or achievement makes you most proud? Looking out at the resorts on a daily basis and remembering back to opening as a simple model village to where we are now.
- Where do you see the business being in five years? The business will continue to grow with every exciting plans in place to add new rides and attractions as well as a range of new accommodation units to the parks.
- Tell us one interesting thing about the business that might surprise us? We buy turkey by the ton for our Christmas operations and Mother Christmas and the elves annually buy in excess of 70,000 presents for the children who visit.
- Tell us one interesting thing about you that people might not know? (ie, hobbies, amusing fact, etc) I once danced down Disney Main Street at midnight !
- Fantasy dinner party – which six people alive or dead would you invite?
Margret Thatcher – added for interest as was she really the iron lady in person; Richard Branson – great stories!; Nick Varney – built Merlin entertainments from nothing; Elon Musk – you never know what he might think of next !
For entertainment :- Peter Kay – always up for a good laugh and Elton John – good for a laugh and also great entertainment.