We’ve all got fond (or mildly traumatic) memories from visiting theme parks as children. Whether your experience was marked by screams of elation or terror, there’s definitely a funfair somewhere which has a special place in your heart, and if that place is reserved for Flambards in Helston, Cornwall, we’ve got some bad news.
The Cornish theme park, which opened in 1976, revealed on Monday (November 4) that it would be closing with ‘immediate notice’ due to ‘rising costs and steadily declining visitor numbers’. The park also cited the loss of three thrill rides back in June, and a need for ‘extensive remedial work’ to the model Victorian village as contributing factors.
As sad as the announcement is, it likely won’t come as a huge shock to anyone who’s been watching the fairground for a while. Back in June of this year it was forced to close for a month to remove several amusements, which had been deemed unsafe for use, and had to reduce the entry fee to reflect their absence. Flambards had hoped that a pivot to amusements more suited to the younger market would increase the appeal for parents, but it seems that that tactic hasn’t quite worked.
In an official statement, Flambards said: ‘This difficult decision was reached only after all possible avenues had been exhausted and we fully recognise the impact of this closure on the local community and the sense of loss that it may bring…
‘Flambards has been a cherished destination for generations, and it is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell.’
There is a silver lining though. Ferdi’s Funland, the park’s indoor playground, will reopen on November 17 for the foreseeable future as an independent attraction, so local kids will still have a small taste of the Flambards fun.
Helston’s mayor told the BBC that he was worried about the impact this closure could have on the local tourist economy, saying, ‘we're not getting so many people coming in now and the impact is going to be significant for the whole of Cornwall.’
RIP Flambards, you will be dearly missed by Cornish families and model village enthusiasts alike.
Theme park thrills on Time Out
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