Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire will be closed today (Saturday 23 November) due to the forecast of strong winds.
The decision was taken to ensure the safety of visitors and Head of Operations Scott Ashman says there was no question that safety must be first.
“Closing the site during one of our showcase events – The Festival of Light - is not a decision taken lightly but safety is paramount and with wind gusts predicted to top 50mph, it was, in the end a simple one to make,” he said.
“The Festival of Light is a spectacular lantern display with some reaching 12 metres tall and we also have a 15 metre high Christmas Tree. This is in addition to the thousands of trees across the 9000-acre estate, all of which are vulnerable to high winds.
“We have been monitoring the forecasts all week, as we know they can change, and we didn’t want to disrupt people’s plans if that was to happen. However, the forecast has worsened so we took the decision to close today to ensure we gave visitors as much notice as possible.
“We have put in place automatic refunds for everyone who has booked and invited them to reschedule on a day which suits them, if they wish to do so. Naturally rebooking is subject to availability, but we hope the majority can be accommodated.
“We know it will be disappointing for families who have booked to come here but we also know they will understand we must put their safety at the centre of all we do.”
Scott said the estate will continue to monitor the weather situation but are currently planning to reopen on Sunday, 24th November, with any changes updated on its website www.longleat.co.uk
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