Another rare ride acquired for Dreamland - please help!

[EAS]

In case anyone hasn't seen this, it's on the News page, updated today: http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

Dreamland Trust agrees acquisition of Blackpool Junior Whip

Following on from its 2008 acquisition of the Whip at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, The Dreamland Trust is pleased to announce that it has agreed to acquire the Junior Whip, the popular Beaver Creek ride that operated at the Pleasure Beach until the end of the 2008 season. This is the last surviving completely original junior whip ride in the United Kingdom. (There is some information on this ride, which has been known as the Fairy Whip and, more recently, Griffin's Magic Dragons, on themagiceye and the official Pleasure Beach website).

However, 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 a shortfall of £632.50. We are therefore formally launching an appeal for this amount.

So how can we acquire such a rare ride for such a small sum? 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 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 balance our books. 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.

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Photo by Nick Laister of the junior whip at Blackpool, shamelessly copied from the news page.

From the Donations page:

TOTAL DONATIONS SINCE THE SCENIC RAILWAY FIRE ON 7 APRIL 2008: £1864.76

The Dreamland Trust is currently accepting donations. The donations will be used to pay for the acquisition, transport, storage and repair of rides for the proposed Heritage Amusement Park, along with other essentials needed to create the world's first amusement park of historic rides.
Cheques should be made payable to the 'The Dreamland Trust' and sent to Sarah Vickery at:

The Dreamland Trust
c/o The Shell Grotto
Grotto Hill
Margate
Kent CT9 2BU

The Trust's Paypal email is sarah@savedreamland.co.uk.

All donations are administered by The Dreamland Trust's treasurer Sarah Vickery.

Please everyone, although most of us can do little to help with the big things to save Dreamland, like high level grant applications and meeting CABE Urban Panel members, we can at least put our hands in our pockets and show we care. I have no doubt all donations, great and small, will be hugely welcomed to help acquire this ride.

Although the campaign has achieved so much, it's still in need of all the support it can get. Let's remember that our campaign leaders have given major amounts of their time and expertise for free, we can hopefully support them by donating what we can to help move the dream along.

[Susan]

Thanks for your support EAS
This is an important ride for us and part of our plans, we are fortunate it has become available and everyone is helping us obtain it.
The grants will not enable us to obtain rides only restore and place those we have, hence the appeal.
If it were not for our benefactor and the help from BPB, the transport company and TDC we could not have embarked on this.
I realise that we have had to appeal to supporters before and thanks to everyone we have got where we are now, I am also mindful that people have given over and over, a big thank you, hopefully there is a still a little in the piggy bank. The rides we need to make this project a success have to be bought as they become available.
Maybe some of you will be in Margate for the Big Event, I shall be down for a few days for meetings and to take delivery of the Junior Whip.

[porterm]

Hi all,

Just back from a few days jaunting around a few theme parks in Germany, Holland and Belgium. (My favourite was Toverland's fairly new Troy wooden coaster; what a ride!) Great to see another classic ride hopefully being salvaged for the new Dreamland proposals.

I will try to dig as deep as possible (in these hard times for most of us). I think every bit will be very useful, however small. (Remember it's volume of donations that will transfer to the monetary goal value required).

It's time once again to put our money where our mouth is, as they say.

Martin

[Tony P]

I know times are tough but it is time again for those of us too far away to offer physical support to dig deep.

As has already been said time to get together & show our support through money not just fine words.

Here's to the next ride for the park!

Cheers,
Tony



ps. cheque in the post

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

Boy, I forget to check in for a few days and suddenly it's costing me!
I'll see what i can scrounge up this week.
Usually I'm pretty solvent but I've had about $1000 worth of stuff come due all at once.
I'll send at last a little something.

[porterm]

Wow - the figure's building upwards quite fast (at £420 when I last looked).

Come on people; let's give it a final push and get our donations in. I reckon if most of us could afford about £5-£10 each it wouldn't take very long at all to achieve the target.

Well done everyone so far.

Martin

PS I have my hunch about that special mystery donator too!

[EAS]

Wow - great sum! Brilliant!

My cheque is on its way too (now that I have found the cheque book!) and yes, I have a hunch about the 'mystery donor' also.

But whoever it is, thank you! (And thanks to all those giving their time also. It's great that people are pulling together over this.)

I wonder what Bob has to say ?

[EAS]

Or is Bob the mystery donor?

[porterm]

Hey - lol as they say today!

Yes, I wonder wear Bob is these daze?

Martin :D

[vince69619]

I have sent a 'lttle something' for the cause. Would have sent more but given the climate and my recent pay cut etc.

Big thanks to the mystery ride buyer!

Vince.

[faro]

i'm sending something too,this is something that means a lot to me.
i think its a shame other fair operators aren't more forthcoming in donations,this is something being done for the whole world and not just the uk.
well done to everyone supporting this,especially in these lean times!!
rgds
jamie hamilton,

[Sarah]

Hello all

Just like to say thanks to all of you who have donated so far.

I get the feeling that some people might be put off donating because they can only afford a small amount. Please, don't be. I got a cheque for £5 through the post at the weekend, and I was as pleased to receive it as any other cheque that's dropped through the letterbox.

As Jamie says, these are lean times. But if you can spare it, a few more fivers would be very much appreciated!

Sarah

[EAS]

I would suggest every single pound helps! Let's not think, as Sarah says, all donations have to be mega ones!

The sum is creeping up, and that's great, especially in the current economic situation, but if we make a big push the entire sum will be covered soon, and possibly we can raise a little more which can be kept in the campaign piggy bank too, for future needs.

It's important also that we don't forget Dreamland needs rides for the little ones, and to foster the next generation of ride enthusiasts. They have to start somewhere, and also it's important that Dreamland has lined up quality, attractive rides like this for family fun.

Good on everyone though, it's wonderful news that people are pulling together over this!

[EAS]

Just under five hundred quid in little over a week!

That's excellent, just bl**dy brilliant really, but can we push to raise the whole sum?

We can do it if we really want...

[EAS]

And today we made it over five hundred! Great work everyone!

Let's see if we can meet the target!

The ride is now safely in Margate, see the News page.

Thanks to Nick, who saw it safely on board the lorry in Blackpool, and Susan, who received it in Margate.

Wow!