Fight on to save Animal World
8:40am Monday 1st November 2010 in News
ONE of Bolton’s best-loved attractions could be taken over by a showman in a last-ditch effort to save it from closing.
Animal World and the Butterfly house in Moss Bank Park are in danger of shutting as Bolton Council tries to slash millions from its budget.
Now Henry Hill and his son, Kurt, who run North West Funfairs, say they want to run the facilities to save them for the people of Bolton.
Their proposal came as Unison, the union which represents many of the council’s 14,000 employees, launched a campaign to save the attraction from closure.
Mr Hill, who recently organised Bolton’s One Big Weekend, said that he would like to commercialise Animal World, but only as a last resort if the council could not keep it open.
He said: “It has more than a quarter of a million visitors a year — we could put a turnstile on it if the council can’t keep it open any other way.
“It’s an asset to Bolton and, if the council can’t find room in their budget, then we could commercialise it and keep it open for Bolton.”
Mr Hill has already made an expression of interest to the council.
Meanwhile, Bolton Unison members have organised a 1,000- signature petition against the proposed closure of Animal World and branch spokesman Martin Challender said he expected many more people to join the campaign soon.
Church Road Primary School has also written to the council, asking bosses to reconsider the proposed closure because it is such an educational benefit to the children.
Mr Challender said: “There’s a lot of opposition to the proposed closure — it really seems to have caught people’s imagination.
“I think it’s because it’s such a unique attraction.
It’s one of the few places in the North West where you can go and visit animals and see them close up free of charge.
“It would be a tremendous loss if it closed.”
Animal World and the Butterfly House employs three people who, Mr Challender says, have more than 40 years’ experience between them.
Animal World houses a large collection of animals, including rabbits, llamas, squirrels, guinea pigs, goats, ducks and birds.
The Butterfly House is a conservation site and, as well as housing many different species, is a breeding site for protected large copper butterflies.
The two facilities cost the council about £100,000 a year to run, which includes wages, heating bills, upkeep and food.
One of Unison’s suggestions to save money is to use renewable energy sources, for which grants may be available to help cover the cost.
Bolton Council is considering closing Animal World and the Butterfly House because it is due to have its parks budget cut by more than £1.7 million over the next three years, as well as losing £257,000 in capital funding and £2 million in government grants.
A spokesman said: “In addition to considering the closure of Animal World, we are looking at alternative options to keep the site open but with different features.
They may include a café, craft centre or foodgrowing area or similar centre.
“We welcome any suggestions from the public or organisations about the future of Animal World and are aware that there has been some interest in the site from North West Funfairs.”
A consultation on the proposed closure runs until November 26.
Anyone who wants to take part can go to bolton.gov.uk/haveyour say or call 01204 331075.
The decision on whether to close the attraction will be made in February.
