Although terms have been agreed and the ride will be moved into storage by the Trust over the next few days, the Trust currently has to find £632.50. We are therefore formally launching an appeal to see if we can quickly raise this amount.

It's all thanks to our supporters and colleagues:

- The cost of acquisition from Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been generously donated by a Campaign supporter - more news on our benefactor soon!

- The staff at BPB are helping out by loading the ride onto the lorry for us.

- Transport company Ainsworth & Martin is moving the ride for us, and are doing so at a great price.

- Thanet District Council is helping out with unloading the lorry at its destination.

Dreamland Trust chair, Nick Laister comments: "It is great news that we will be able to operate two classic whip rides at Dreamland Margate, now that we have concluded our discussions with the Pleasure Beach. Campaign members made it possible for us to acquire the world's last 'circular' Water Chute back in 2007 and we need your help again. This acquisition would not have been possible without the help of one very generous campaign member, plus the help and support of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Thanet District Council. Although this acquisition will now definitely go ahead - the trustees will personally guarantee the shortfall - we do now need to recover the £632.50 to pay the transport company. Any contributions towards this will be very gratefully received."

Details of how to donate can be found on our special donations page. We will regularly update you on the total raised from this appeal here on the News page.

Dreamland in Amusement Today

The proposed heritage amusement park has made the news in Amusement Today magazine, a leading industry journal. Download article.

The report starts its coverage of Dreamland with a summary of the site visit, where Dreamland Trust chair Nick Laister set out the Trust's vision for Dreamland from the Arlington Tower looking down on the site. The report states:

"...the stage was set for Dreamland. As the Panel saw, this site has been reduced, by the passage of time and the failure of enterprises both commercial and municipal, to little more than an opportunity, albeit a great one. 

The Panel's conclusions make for very interesting reading, as they single out Dreamland as the priority scheme for the town:

"In choosing which of the many schemes to prioritise, the Panel had no doubts.  Dreamland is blessed with assets of the highest quality and national importance, a nationally known (remembered) name, all the space that is needed, a dedicated Trust, with a collection of historic fairground rides and a vision which the Panel thought wholly apposite.  Accordingly Trust, Partnership and authority were urged to turn all necessary attention to the re-emergence of Dreamland."

The Panel also believed that there is a very good case for funding for the project and recommended that it moves forward as a matter of urgency:

"National funding streams of relevance exist and, although the Panel has no lien on them, members thought there was very good case for some funds coming to Margate and being directed to Dreamland...So the Panel urged that the vision of Dreamland re-opening as the first and nationally unique heritage fairground be promoted with urgency and drive and without unnecessary burdens.  Similarly, the Panel saw no merit in delaying the scheme because the grander development package for the site (which suddenly looks very dated) cannot now be delivered.  New housing may be a long time coming and yet this need not hamper successful delivery of new Dreamland.  The remainder of the site can be brought forward, with minimal investment, as an events space.  Panel members envisaged a near future in which Dreamland is functioning and attracting new visitors as well as entertaining and pleasing existing ones.  That can be much enhanced by attracting to the new, large events space circuses, markets, small festivals and so on, with obvious concomitant benefits.  The Panel was also confident that such a degree of activity would constitute the critical mass which would provide the context for a successful re-use of the cinema."

In concluding, the Panel even suggested that other projects should be abandoned or deferred to allow for Dreamland to move forward:

"Indeed Panel members were so convinced that this is a clear first development priority that it strongly urged that all necessary funds be directed to that purpose even where other, generally laudable, objectives would have to be abandoned or, at least, deferred as a result."

Dreamland Trust chair Nick Laister comments: "We are obviously delighted with the conclusions of the Urban Panel. We are very pleased that they singled out Dreamland as Margate's priority project and that they have recognised its national significance as well as its importance as a critical local regeneration project. We hope that these conclusions will be taken into account by the organisations currently assessing grant funding applications to bring this priority project to fruition."

Click here to download the report in full.

The report was covered by the Isle of Thanet Gazette, noting the focus on Dreamland.

In other news, Nick Laister and Susan Marsh represented the Dreamland Trust at a Dreamland Client Group meeting at the offices of the Prince's Regeneration Trust in London today. Representatives of the Margate Renewal Partnership, Thanet District Council and Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company were also present. The main subject of discussion was the ongoing liaison with the funding bodies and partners in providing additional information.