Lightwater Valley owner on why he bought the theme park he loved

James Mellors has fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming the owner of Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park, a theme park located near Ripon in North Yorkshire. For Mellors, purchasing the park was a personal milestone, recalling visits there as a child when his auntie and uncle from Dinnington would take him and his family for days out. “We’ve visited the park throughout the years, so now it’s really nice to actually say it’s ours and think about what we can do with it,” he said.

Lightwater Valley, which opened in 1969, once boasted the world’s longest rollercoaster, the Ultimate, a title it held from 1991 until 2000. The park also featured the Rat, a unique subterranean rollercoaster built in 1987. However, after the Ultimate was dismantled in 2023, the park shifted its focus towards younger children under twelve, a direction Mellors believes wasn’t the right approach. “In my opinion, the previous owners really went in the wrong direction and went down to more of a younger age group,” he explained. He emphasized that even families with children 12 and under include parents in their 20s to 40s who also want an enjoyable experience.

Having previously acquired Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells in 2016, Mellors has long had aspirations for Lightwater Valley. His vision for the park is ambitious: to create an experience “almost like a Disneyland,” though he recognizes the financial and branding limitations his park faces. “It’s very difficult because the vision is unaffordable at the moment but we’ve got so many great ideas, things we want to do with the park, utilising more of the space to its full potential,” he said. Recently, the park opened a new rollercoaster called Spinning Racer as part of what Mellors refers to as a “new era,” signaling the beginning of further changes.

Mellors acknowledges the significant challenges involved in operating a large theme park, including high running costs for land rent, energy consumption, and maintenance. “You need a big site, then you have a lot of land rent you have to pay. People want these big rollercoasters, it takes huge amounts of power,” he pointed out. Despite these challenges, Mellors is optimistic about the future and passionate about the business, stating, “I think as long as you’re doing a job that you enjoy, you never do a day’s work in your life.” He remains hopeful that even as some middle-income families reduce spending on outings, Lightwater Valley will continue to attract visitors because “you can’t get this experience on the internet.”

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