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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 217.155.206.150 (talk) at 15:45, 10 July 2009 (→Pollok Country Park: erroneous space). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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going APE

Go Ape Ltd. is an outdoor pursuits company which runs twenty-one high wire adventure courses in forests in England and Scotland consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. The course in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, near Aberfoyle in Stirling, has a 426-metre zip line, the longest in Britain.[1]

History

The company was founded in 2001 by Rebecca and Tristram Mayhew, after they were inspired by a tree-top adventure course in France, and has a contract with the Forestry Commission for courses on multiple sites.[1] The first course opened in 2002 in Thetford Forest, on the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk; it was the first self-belay tree top ropes course in Britain. The company's motto is "creating adventures, encouraging others to live life more adventurously."[2] In November 2007, a proposal for a combined mountain biking facility and Go Ape course in Whinlatter Forest Park, near Keswick in the Lake District, was turned down when local people and two parish councils objected over concerns about an increase in traffic. An amended planning application was subsequently approved and a Go Ape course at Whinlatter opened in Spring 2008.[3] Similar concerns have also been raised about a proposed course at Wendover Woods in the Chiltern Hills, but plans were approved after several hundred residents of the borough wrote to planning officers to support the proposal.[4] In 2003, the company won a Best Tourist Attraction award[2] and has also won a number of other awards.[5] In 2007, it was shortlisted for the Best Norfolk Attraction award at the Tourism In Norfolk Awards.[6] In 2008 the company opened 5 new courses in Kent, Cumbria, Devon, Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire.[7].

Pollok Country Park

A proposal to build a Go Ape course in Pollok Country Park, in Glasgow. proved extremely controversial and was defeated after over 18 months of campaigning.[8] A campaign group 'Save Pollok Park', campaigned in opposition to the scheme on a number of grounds. The SPP collected over 5000 signatures against the plan and proved that Go Ape and Glasgow District Council had colluded to ignore the democratic process. Go Ape's founder, Tristram Mayhew, attended a public meeting in January 2008[9] to argue in support of the proposal. Glasgow City Council subsequently approved the plan, and the Scottish Planning Ministers decline to 'call-in' the proposal.[10]

In February 2008, Go Ape's Aberfoyle site was repeatedly vandalised with zip-slides being cut or partially severed. The Go Ape site in Whinlatter park in the Lake District was also attacked by the same group in Easter 2009.[11][12] A report in the Sterling Observer suggested that the damage may have been the work of some who are against the plans for Go Ape in Pollok Park.[13] "FFP" - believed to stand for "Fight For Pollok" - was sprayed on signs at Aberfoyle.[12]

In October 2008 immediately prior to the latest in a series of protesters meetings, Go Ape wrote an open letter to the Glasgow Evening Times,eroniously attacking SPP for vandalism in Aberfoyle and revealing that their staff had received abusive letters. What they failed to do was make it clear that they were referring to incidents in February 2008. The campaigners reiterated their anger at the vandalism.[14]

In June 2009, Go Ape abandoned their plans to build the Pollok Country Park course as it has been deemed 'too expensive' to pursue.[15]

Go Ape locations

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References

  1. ^ a b "Air Activities: Go Ape" (HTML). Scotland Outdoors. BBC. 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Growing Futures: The England Forestry Strategy in Action" (PDF). The Forestry Commission. June 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Brewster, Ross (2007-11-08). "Plans Refused". News & Star. Cumbrian Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Sampson, Karen (2007-10-11). "Letters to the Editor: Shocked at plans for Go Ape facility". The Bucks Herald. Johnson Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Awards we've been lucky enough to win" (HTML). Go Ape. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ Neate, Rupert (2007-10-26). "And our tourism finalists are ..." Eastern Daily Press. Archant Regional Limited. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "4 New Sites" (HTML). Go Ape. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ McGinty, Stephen (2008-09-04). "Blow for Pollok adventure park protesters" (HTML). The Scotsman. Retrieved 2008-09-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Morgan, James (2008-01-23). "Tempers flare at meeting over Go Ape Plan" (HTML). The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ "Ministers will not intervene over plan for Go Ape park Course" (HTML). The Glasgow Herald. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7604775.stm.
  12. ^ a b Protesters blast vandal attack on Go Ape park. Cite error: The named reference "Protesters blast vandal attack on Go Ape park" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/search/display.var.2464100.0.campaigners_hit_back_at_go_ape_threats_claims.php
  14. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8098626.stm
  15. ^ "Swing Through the Trees and Go Ape!" (Press release). The Forestry Commission. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  16. ^ "Leeds Castle gets ready to Go Ape" (HTML). Kent Messenger Group. 15/01/08. Retrieved 2008-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)


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