Drusillas Park 'Excited' To Reopen To Public Next Week

Animal lovers will soon be able to return to Drusillas Park in Alfriston after being shut for more than three months because of coronavirus.

The park is preparing to initially open its doors to the public from next Friday (26) with some restrictions in place.

Rides, play areas and VIP experiences will start up again on July 4 and people are being advised to book tickets online in ahead of their trip.

As previously reported by More Radio, management initially said it did not want to 'rush reopening' - following the Government's announcement that zoos and safari parks can begin opening their doors this week.

Deputy Managing Director, Cassie Poland, said:

"We are really excited to be reopening and to finally have a date we can welcome visitors back to Drusillas.

"We have now had the official guidelines through, and we will open just the zoo initially from Saturday 4 July, we anticipate being able to open all rides and play areas and are anxiously waiting for the government green light."

Oasis Cafe will be serving takeaway food and drink and there will only be one shop open, with a restriction on the number of people allowed in at any given time.

Poland added:

"During the first week, based on government guidelines, we sadly will not be running any of our VIP experiences such as animal encounters and Keeper for the Day. Our walkthough enclosures Lemurland, Lory Landing and sloth and bat walkthrough will also remain closed for now.

"After 4 July, we hope to have the rides, play areas and most of our other attractions open! We also anticipate opening our other shops, our walkthrough enclosures and restarting our VIP experiences.

"We hope that everyone can understand the reasoning for this phased reopening and that we can all look forward to opening fully on the 4th of July.

"Our main priority is to keep our staff and the public safe and we have been working very hard to ensure this with detailed risk assessments, lots of training and enhanced cleaning regimes."

Some of the key health and safety measures being implemented include:

• A one-way zoo route
• social distancing floor markings and signage
• Increased availability of hand sanitisers and handwashing facilities
• Enhanced cleaning regimes with a focus on touch points
• Queue management facilities
• Restricted visitor numbers
• Hygiene screens
• The cancellation of any event that causes crowds to gather

Meanwhile, if you do not book a ticket online in advance you will not be guaranteed entry.

Deputy Managing Director, Cassie Poland, said:

“We cannot stress enough the importance of booking your tickets online before you visit. We are working hard to ensure Drusillas remains a safe and enjoyable place to visit and this does include limiting the number of people that can visit. So please, if you are coming to visit us, book your tickets online first.”

“We are really excited to be reopening and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back. 97 days is such a long time to be closed and we are really looking forward to getting back to it and settling into the new normal.”

A full list of Drusillas health and safety measures can be found on their ‘Staying Safe At Drusillas’ webpage: www.drusillas.co.uk/corona-virus-visitor-information

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