New visitor attraction inspired by green issues
A unique environmentally inspired visitor attraction comes to Kent. Lapland UK, working with the Forestry Commission, is bringing the spirit of a Lapland Christmas daytrip all the way to the Bedgebury Forest in Goudhurst, Kent for five weeks from 24 November 2007. Lapland UK hopes to provide families with a genuine alternative to a magical Christmas day trip while reducing those nasty carbon footprints. “Bringing a high quality Christmas experience to this country has been my dream since visiting Lapland with my wife and our four boys in 2002,” said creator Mike Battle. “But what galvanised me into action were the potential environmental benefits. Until Lapland UK the only option for a truly magical Christmas experience for young families was an arduous trip flying to Lapland and back in one day (depositing 2 tonnes of carbon).”
Father Christmas, real reindeer, husky dogs, Raymond Briggs’ ‘The Snowman’, Hollywood snow and ice special effects, and rocking horse makers to the Queen (toy factory) will all be part of this unique experience set deep in the 2,000 acre Bedgebury Forest in Kent. This ambitious attraction will take a family about four hours to experience and will be the best Christmas adventure this country has ever seen.
Lapland UK will be offering timed entry tickets, ensuring that everyone enjoys their daytrip without feeling crowded or having to face lengthy queues.
From the moment of booking, the whole event will feel just like a real trip to Lapland, but without the need to fly!
• A personal invitation from Father Christmas arrives in the post.
• The drive to the Bedgebury Forest will be more manageable than the time (10/11 hours return) spent travelling to Lapland with tired young children.
• Uniformed Air Lapland staff will check ‘passengers’ in for a fantasy flight with Raymond Briggs’ ‘The Snowman’.
• Emerging from the ‘transporter’ visitors will magically find themselves in an ice and snow-covered forest. The falling snow is an eco-friendly world class special effect snow as used in Hollywood films (Narnia, Harry Potter, and James Bond).
• There are many activities for children and adults to see and do to earn a place on Father Christmas’s ‘good list’ including becoming ‘North Pole craftsmen’ in the toy factory and making gingerbread. There will also be the opportunity to meet real reindeer and husky dogs, visit the Saami village (indigenous people of Lapland) for traditional story telling, send a letter at the post office, listen to toy soldiers playing classical Christmas music on their trumpets and many more surprises, whilst enjoying a complimentary mulled wine.
• The highlight for children will be meeting Father Christmas himself in his snow covered woodland home.
• Every child’s visit is personalised from information provided by parents at the time of booking (favourite hobby/teacher, etc), making children believe they are truly in the presence of the real Father Christmas!
• Children and parents alike will receive beautiful gifts to treasure; hand crafted age appropriate wooden puzzles for the children and an heirloom edition of the ‘The Night Before Christmas’ for parents.
As a caring father of 4 boys, the environmental aspect of the event is very important to Mike Battle who hopes Lapland UK can be his way of “doing his bit” to help the planet.
As well as providing families with a genuine alternative to flying up and down to Lapland in one day by having a magical Christmas experience in the UK instead, Lapland UK has implemented the following ‘green’ initiatives:
- Working with the Forestry Commission to supply harvested, sustainable timber from a UK forest to support the event.
- The site, will be completely temporary ,erected for only six weeks, leaving no trace in the Bedgebury Forest, itself a ‘green’ environment
- Lapland UK, working in partnership with London Bio Packaging, is creating the first “closed loop” recycling of packaging at an event.
- Tickets are on a timed entry basis, keeping numbers of visitors down to create the atmosphere of Lapland and reduce the impact on the surrounding environment.
- The snow at the site is eco-friendly (bio degradable/ph neutral). Snow falling every 15 minutes is made from an extract of seaweed and will disappear on landing, while the snow on the trees and ground is made of an incredibly realistic paper-based compound.
- Lapland UK encourages coach parties –a full coach of visitors is the most environmentally friendly form of travel.
- Working locally -many of the attractions within Lapland UK have a local theme: the rocking horse manufacturer is from Kent, and wherever possible Lapland UK will minimise food and drink miles.
This whole magical experience, taking approximately 4 hours, will be remembered for a lifetime. The Lapland UK ticket also includes all day admission to Bedgebury Forest & Pinetum, allowing visitors to extend their day out.
Although Lapland UK is centred on a traditional family visit to Father Christmas, no one will be left out of the fun.
With German Christmas markets in mind for those who just want to soak up the festive atmosphere, the “Twilight ticket” has been especially created and includes a complimentary mulled wine (minimal carbon footprint when compared to flying to Germany).
How much does it cost?
This magical and memorable Christmas experience is available to all with tickets and prices starting at just £90 for a family of four, including gifts and benefits to the value of £55. Even the top priced tickets are 90% cheaper than the cost of a family day-trip to Lapland (£1,500).
Lapland UK has made a particular point of making their ticket price as inclusive as possible with no irritating hidden extras – (no booking, parking, or postage fees). And the green cost is just 0.01 tonnes per family as opposed to 2 tonnes for return flights to Lapland past the Arctic Circle.
Lapland UK really is the answer to the whole family enjoying a truly memorable, magical Christmas experience without the need to fly!
For more information and to book this new Christmas experience, visit Laplanduk.co.uk.
